A Change Is Gonna Come
by BeatReader
Summary: This is my effort to fix the ending of Sweetie Pies and Sweaty Palms. Picks up after Wade walks out of Zoe's place and goes from there. Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1  Little Lion Man

This picks up after Wade leaves Zoe's place and what I hope would happen to get them back to a place where they could be together. Hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Hart of Dixie characters, I'm just trying to get some of them to behave better.**

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><p>The minute he walked out of the carriage house, he knew he'd screwed up, but he was taken off guard. After all the pranking, he couldn't switch gears. But he had taken it too far and, now, he couldn't take it back. He pulled his hand through his hair and shook his head. He watched through the window as Zoe stood, almost frozen, in the same place. He should go back and apologize, but he heard Joelle calling for him. He looked at the hundred dollars in his hand and headed back to his place. He'd make things right with Zoe tomorrow, he thought.<p>

She stood there replaying the scene over and over in her head. She knew she handled it all wrong. She was no full of herself in the way she broached it that she all but ensured he'd deny it. She just couldn't get over the sting of his words and him waving the money in front of her. Money he was going to spend on Joelle.

She looked back at Rose and then around the carriage house. Who was she kidding? No matter how nonchalant she acted, she couldn't hide her hurt that the town had bet against her. And Wade, not only was part of it, but rubbed her face in it. She started pulling out her suitcases and putting her things from the carriage house in them. Once she finished she put them by the door and then went to sleep on the couch. When she pulled the blanket over her she found it still smelled like him. She could feel the tears and squeezed her eyes shut to will them away.

She woke early when Rose shook her. "What are those suitcases for?"

The look on the young girl's face was angry and sad in one. Zoe sat up and patted the seat next to her. "I'm not leaving Bluebell, yet. I'm just going to move into Harley's place above the practice for the time being." Zoe looked towards Wade's place before finishing. "I think it would be better I don't live here."

Rose looked at her and knew something must have happened after she fell asleep. She looked Zoe in the eye. "What happened? And don't tell me, nothin'."

Zoe explained what had happened to Rose. After Zoe finished, Rose narrowed her eyes. "That low down, immature creep. And to think I was rootin' for him."

"Yeah, he's a jerk but I wished I'd handled it better too." Zoe sighed and then stood up. "It doesn't matter now. I'm going to head up to Lavon's and talk to him about moving out. Maybe he can give me a ride into town with my bags."

Rose stood up and gave Zoe a hug before heading towards the door. "I'll leave you to it. I'll call you later." She stopped before she left. "Hey Zoe, thanks for taking care of me last night. I'm sorry things didn't work out for you though."

Zoe smiled at the girl and waved her off. "No need to thank me – that's what friends do. And don't worry about me. I'm fine."

Rose walked out. She looked over at Wade's place and shook his head. "Idiot," she mumbled.

Lavon convinced Zoe to wait on bringing her bags to the office until later. Bluebell was already aflutter with the news of her break up with Judson. No need to add anything to the grist mill. After he pulled everything out of her about Wade he offered to give her a ride to the office, but she wanted to walk and clear her head.

When she came into the office Addie was at the reception. "'Morning Addie, is Brick in yet?"

Addie looked up and couldn't notice that Zoe didn't seem like herself. Probably just the Judson situation, she thought.

"Yeah, he's in his office."

Zoe walked towards Brick's office and smiled weakly at Addie as she passed. "Thanks."

She knocked on Brick's office door and waited for him to say, "Come in."

When she opened the door, Brick looked at her. He really didn't want to deal with Dr. Zoe Hart this morning after the night he'd had. "Well Dr. Hart what can I do you for this mornin'?"

"'Morning Brick, I want to move into Harley's place upstairs. I just wanted to check in with you before I did."

Brick was puzzled. Something about her seemed off. She wasn't full of piss and vinegar like she usually was. Hell, she was checking in with him before she moved into her father's place upstairs as if he could object.

"Everything okay over at the Mayor's place? Why the sudden move?" He couldn't help but be curious.

"Oh yeah, Lavon's great. I just want to be closer to the practice. I don't have a car and I think it will be easier."

Brick didn't buy it, but wasn't going to push. "No problem here."

She looked relieved. "Great. Lavon said he'd bring my things over later after we close up." Then she looked at Brick and noticed he looked really tired – like he hadn't had any sleep. "Hey Brick, you okay?"

Brick was a little startled by the question. "Uh, yeah I'm fine. Just a little tired. I may head home early today."

Zoe nodded at him. "Sure. If you need anything, let me know."

With that she left his office and Brick stared at the door. "Who the hell was that and what did they do to Zoe Hart?"

Wade walked out his door and looked at the carriage house. He had sent Joelle home after he left Zoe's last night. After what happened, he found he wasn't really interested in Joelle and wanted to be alone. He sucked in a deep breath and planned how he'd make things right with Zoe. He made his way over to her door but noticed it was dark inside. He looked in through the window and saw the suitcases by the door. "Awww, Damn!"

Wade blew into Lavon's kitchen like a tornado. "Lavon!" he yelled.

"In here." He heard Lavon's voice call from the other room.

Wade blew into the TV room, not losing any steam. "Where's Zoe? I saw the suitcases. Where is she going?"

Lavon put down the joy stick for the X-Box and looked up - shaking his head at Wade. "I think you best stay away from Zoe Hart, Wade. You can't help but screw things up where she's concerned."

Wade looked at Lavon, but dropped his eyes. "She's leavin'. Ain't she?"

Lavon took in Wade – he was on the verge of pathetic. "She ain't leavin' Bluebell yet. She's moving to Harley's place over the practice, but I get the feelings she's two steps away from high tailing it out of here. Largely thanks to you. How could you do that Wade? Rubbin' the town pool in her face. Makin' a joke of having any feelings for her."

Wade kept his eyes on the floor and shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno. She came at me and said I should admit I liked her, but didn't give nothin' away on her end. It took me off guard."

Lavon shook his head at him again. "I told you to have the sense to tell her how you feel and the only thing keepin' you from bein' with Zoe Hart was you. Well she put it out there on a patter for you and you gotta go and be bad. Except this time you didn't just pull her pig tails, you spit in her eye."

Wade looked at him then. "Look Lavon, you weren't there. She ain't perfect neither."

"Yeah, she may have put it wrong, but don't worry. You more than knocked her down a peg or two." Lavon responded.

Wade winced.

Lavon felt sympathy for Wade, in the way you do for someone who shoots themselves in the foot. He stood up and patted Wade's shoulder as he walked out. "Just leave her alone right now. It's like my momma always says, 'If you can't say somethin' nice, don't say nothin' at all.'"

Wade thought about what Lavon said. He had to go see Zoe and fix things.

Wade stood in front of the doctors' office and took a deep breath before he opened the door. He stepped over the threshold and walked towards Addie.

"Hey Wade. What can I do for ya today?" she called to him.

Wade smoothed the front of his white shirt nervously. "Uh, I was looking for Dr. Hart."

Addie eyed him curiously. Then Zoe came out of the exam room with young Caleb Foster and his mom. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Wade. She pulled herself together quickly but Addie caught the look on her face.

Zoe quickly looked away from Wade and finished with her young patient. He waited until she finished and then walked towards her.

"Um Doc, I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute."

Zoe didn't look at him. "I can't Wade."

She turned and walked back into her office.

Addie took in everything and looked at Wade. "You damn fool. What did you do? Are you the reason she has been walking around here all day like someone ran over dog?" Addie paused and put the pieces together. "Of course you are. She and Judson broke up and now she's out the mayor's carriage house, which is next door to **you**. I should have known. Nothin' changes but the date with you."

Brick had just come out of his office and heard Addie. Wade looked at both of them and turned to leave.

Addie's eyes shot daggers at him as he left. Brick looked at Addie. "What's goin' on?"

"I think I know what's wrong with Dr. Hart." She said as she walked to Zoe's office and knocked.

Brick nodded slowly as he caught up on what happened. He suddenly felt sympathy for Zoe. He knew how it felt to get kicked in the gut by love. "I'm heading out Addie, but tell Zoe to holler if she needs any help movin'."

Wade walked into the Rammer Jammer, yanking off the new white button down shirt so he was in his typical T-shirt. He saw Joelle talking to Shelly at the bar. _Aww, man. Not now._

"Hey baby, I was just checkin' to see if you were feelin' better." Joelle said as she came over to him and put her arms around him.

Wade backed away from her. "Hey Joelle, yeah I'm feelin' better, but I gotta get in back. Runnin' late."

Joelle looked at Shelly who just shrugged her shoulders. She grabbed her purse and told Shelly, "Well, tell Wade I'll call him later."

"Will do." Shelly said.

As soon as Joelle left, Shelly followed after Wade. Something was up with him this morning. She wondered if it was the news of Zoe and Judson breaking up. But Wade just kept avoiding any conversation with her beyond what needed to be ordered and who's table needed service.

George came in later in the afternoon looking wiped himself. He sat at the bar and Wade brought him a beer. "Thanks. I sure need that." He said tilting his glass to Wade as if to toast.

"Yeah, what's up with you?" Wade was happy to have someone else's problems to talk about for a moment.

"Aw just some stuff with Lemon. Wedding planning." George didn't think Lemon would want him telling Wade about her Mom.

Wade nodded. "Yeah, well you two are lucky you got each other. Don't forget that."

George looked at Wade curiously. "Huh, no ball-and-chain comments, been with the same girl forever jokes. You alright?"

Wade nodded slowly. "Yeah, I'm alright."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I've just been thinkin' maybe I need to get a little more serious is all."

"Where's this comin' from?" he asked Wade.

Just after George asked the question, Judson came in the door and walked towards Wade.

"Aww no." Wade mumbled under his breath.

Shelly walked by them and gave George a look.

"Hey George. Hey Wade, you got a minute?" Judson said as he approached the two of them.

George nodded at Judson and then looked at Wade.

Wade nodded. "Uh yeah, let's grab a table."

George and Shelly watched as the two of them took a table close to the wall.

"What can I do you for?" Wade asked, trying to be nonchalant.

"You probably heard that Zoe and I broke up." Judson said.

"Uh, yeah I did. Sorry things didn't work out." Wade wondered where this was heading.

"You sure about that?" Judson asked. "'Cause the reason I was here was to let you know I'm bowin' out."

"What ya' talkin' about Doc?" Wade asked.

Judson looked confused. "It was pretty obvious you two have a thing for each other. I told Zoe that last night when I ended things. I'm not gonna play a game I can't win."

"Huh, you told Zoe that?" Wade asked before he realized what was coming out of his mouth.

Judson stood up and smiled at Wade. "Yeah, I did. I just hope she's not another one of your flings. She's deserves better than that."

And with that Judson walked out. Wade sat at the table and resisted the urge to slam his head against the table. He was an idiot.

George watched Wade when Lavon and Brick walked in the door. Lavon looked at Wade and shook his head. Brick gave him a look that said _you're a jackass. _Wade sucked in a deep breath. _Damn small town._

There wasn't much stuff to move, but Zoe was surprised to find Lavon, Addie, and even Brick helping her to settle in Harley's old apartment. Addie worked with Zoe to get Harley clothes bagged up and make room for Zoe's things. Brick and Lavon brought the bags down stairs to donate to the church and brought Zoe's things up. With the help, Zoe had herself settled into her new place in no time at all. After Addie and Brick left, Lavon stayed behind to keep Zoe company on her first night in her new place.

"Well it sure is gonna be strange not have you poppin' up in the kitchen in the morning." Lavon slid on to the lumpy couch.

"You can come over here for breakfast." Zoe offered.

"So you're not gonna come out to the plantation no more, huh." Lavon said

Zoe scrunched her nose. "I'd prefer to avoid a possible Wade run-in. He came by the office today."

Lavon was surprised. "He did. What did he say?"

Zoe shrugged. "He asked to talk to me. I just couldn't."

"Well you're gonna to see him at some point. This is Bluebell." Lavon said

"I know I will Lavon. But this whole Wade – Judson thing is just another example of me thinking of what I should want and ignoring my feelings. It's like being a cardiothoracic surgeon, my last boyfriend. My whole life I have done what I thought I was supposed to do." She sat next Lavon then. "Remember you told me that if I ever let myself really go, I might fly. Well, here I am again – not flying. More like crashing and burning." She looked at her hands.

Lavon put his hand on her shoulder and turned her towards him. "So what are you gonna do?"

Zoe took a deep breath. "I came to Bluebell and said I'd be here a year. Well, I've got eight more months and I think I am going to take some time to figure out who I am, not who I'm trying to be."

Lavon smiled and nodded. He let go of her shoulders and leaned back onto the couch.

"You know, what Wade said really hurt. But if I hadn't acted so full of myself when I asked him, maybe he wouldn't have been such a jerk. That doesn't mean what he did wasn't totally awful - especially since I thought he was at least a friend."

"Yeah, well he's gotten an earful from me on that. And I heard from a few other people too." Lavon said.

Zoe smiled for the first time. "You're a good friend Lavon Hayes."

He put his arm around her. "And you know, I think you may have a few more friends than you thought."


	2. Chapter 2  Blue

It just seemed like a fresh slate was in order for these two. Wade starts to get his act together now, and Zoe will open the door...a little. Hope you enjoy. Please read and review.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hart of Dixie.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2:<strong>

For the next couple of months Zoe stayed clear of Wade. She didn't step foot in the Rammer Jammer, invited Lavon over instead of going to the plantation. Wade kept trying to set up an accidental run-in but failed miserably. It was starting to feel like the rest of the town was in cahoots with her. He'd show up any town event and she would have just left. What worse is all he would hear is how great she was doing. She was becoming more a part of Bluebell each day. It seemed the news of what happened the night of the Sweetie Pie dance had made Zoe a more sympathetic figure in Bluebell's eyes. She was still a fish out of water, but people seemed to be warming up to that. Hell, even Lemon was openly admitting the she wasn't that bad.

He needed to talk to Zoe. Not being able to see her only left him with replaying the night of his huge screw up over and over in his head. What he would have said and done differently, what things could be like if he had said and done those things. He was driven to distraction. Joelle had dropped him and he hadn't picked up any girls since. People in town were still given him the crooked eye, as if to say _"Aww boy, you done her wrong." _It was making him nuts.

Wade came into Lavon's kitchen one morning and said as much to the mayor. Lavon sat and listened to him ramble on about his situation for a good fifteen minutes before he finally put his hands up to make it stop.

"Look Wade, I told you. Zoe said she was taking time to figure out who she was and what she wanted. She wants space. She ain't out with any other guys or paintin' the town red. She's trying to be a good country doctor, takin' weekend trips down the Gulf and workin' hard to be part of this town. She's volunteerin' at the library, helpin' out at the senior center, stuff like that. You need to stop thinkin' it's all about you." Lavon smirked at Wade before he finished his thought. "'Cuz she may be avoidin' you, but that's only a part of what she's doin'."

"Gee thanks, Lavon. That's one great pep talk. Use that one in the huddle?" Wade said as he plunked himself down in the easy chair in Lavon's TV room. "I tell you I'm going nuts and that's what you got to offer."

"Hey man, I told you what Zoe said. Thinkin' about what she said to you made her realize that she had to talk different to people. You should feel kinda good about that." Lavon said.

"Yeah, and then you told me that she said what I did was awful and hurt her. What exactly am I supposed to feel good about?" Wade answered sarcastically.

"Well, you got Zoe to thinkin' and now she's really comin' into her own and actually seems happier." Lavon reasoned.

"Yeah, happier not talkin' to me." Wade grumbled.

"Now wait a second," Lavon said. "I did not say she was happier not talkin' to you. I said she's happier with herself. Those are two different things."

Wade looked at him as if to say, _what's the difference._

"Wade, maybe you should try what Zoe is doin'. All you do is slide from one thing to another. Where do you wanna be in ten years? You still wanna be livin' in my gate house and bartendin' at the Rammer Jammer? You want another shot with Zoe, get yourself together. How do you expect her to take you seriously when you don't?"

"Aww, come on Lavon. Not this again. What do you think I should be doin'? Going to law school and being like George? I'm a good bartender and I like seeing all the people. Ain't my fault that my chosen profession pays crap."

"Why don't you buy the place? Old man Tate has been asking you to take it off his hands for over a year."

"And pay him in what, bottle caps? Besides I don't know nothin' about ownin' no business."

"Now Wade Kinsella, that's a load of bull and you know it. You basically run that place now. You do the inventory; schedule the staff and everything else. What more is there to know? And if it's about the money, I'd loan it to you." Lavon cleared out all of Wade's excuses in one fell swoop.

Wade shook his head. "I can't take your money."

"It's a LOAN, dummy. We can draw up papers if you want. Besides it's a good investment. It's the only bar in town."

Wade's eyes narrowed as he thought about it. If Lavon would loan him the money, and it would be a loan, it might work. He knew enough of how much the place took in and what its overhead was. There was some room over above that for him to payback Lavon and still get by himself. It'd be a little tight till he paid Lavon back, but he could manage. Wade looked at him. "Are you serious about this?"

"Lavon Hayes does not joke about business." The mayor answered.

"Well, alright. If it's a loan – I'll pay you back." Wade said.

Lavon pulled Wade out of the chair and began slapping his back. "This is great. We'll go to George's office tomorrow and get the papers drawn up. You know, once you buy the place you should have an event at the Jammer. Let people know it's under new management. I think people will want to support you."

Wade grimaced. "You think Zoe would come?"

"She might. You might have to do some good ole fashion wooing though. This whole trying to accidentally, on purpose run into her thing is kinda lame."

Wade thought about it and nodded. Then he pulled out his cell phone and called George.

Zoe was sitting at the bakery with a piece of pie and a coffee. She had a little time before she had to get back to the practice after leaving the senior center. She was surprised by how much she enjoyed her time there with Bluebell's seniors. They were so fascinating with their stories. There was a lady, Ella that was 102 and still sharp as a tack. Zoe had sat with her today and heard about when woman first got the right to vote from a first person account.

Over the past couple of months, Zoe spent a lot of time in the practice and her relationship with Brick had improved somewhat. The situation with Wade seemed to strike something with Brick and Zoe found he was actually a pretty decent guy. She had gotten her number of patients up to about 40 percent and a few were even from Brick throwing some her way. She was even more surprised to find she liked family medicine. She had seen some patients more than once with different ailments and enjoyed the relationship and knowledge that came with being a g.p. Zoe had always been so driven to be a cardiothoracic surgeon like her father, but was starting to wonder if she was really Harley's daughter by more than blood.

When she wasn't at the practice or volunteering, she spent time with a group on friends she was developing. Annabeth came back out of hiding when the news of Zoe's Sweetie Pie nightmare reached her. Lemon seemed to thaw a bit as well with time. Whether it was feeling Zoe had been done wrong, or Zoe herself making an effort to be less acerbic she couldn't be sure. But the most surprising development of the past couple of months was that Lemon Breeland was actually nice and fun. Zoe saw more of the side of her that put together the prank with George and Wade.

Just as Zoe was thinking about the belles, they walked in the bakery. "Hi Agnes, can I get a slice of your huckleberry pie?" Lemon asked as she came in.

Annabeth saw Zoe and walked over to see her. "Hey girl, how are you?"

"Good. I had an hour between the senior center and my next appointment so I thought what better than pie!"

"I couldn't agree more." Lemon said sitting down next to Zoe. "Although I may not be sayin' that when I can't fit into my weddin' dress."

Annabeth joined them with a piece of her own. "So Zoe, did you hear Wade is buyin' the Rammer Jammer? He's takin' a business class at the community college and I think I even saw him in a new shirt."

Lemon looked at her with a death glare. "Annabeth, why on earth would we need to talk about Wade Kinsella?"

Zoe looked stunned. She hadn't talked to anyone about Wade since had the conversation with Lavon the night she moved into the apartment over the practice.

Annabeth looked abashed. "I'm sorry. It's just that Wade spent over a month borderline stalkin' Zoe hopin' to run into her. And now all of a sudden he's taking college courses, cleaning himself up and buying a business. I thought he might be tryin' to impress you."

"It's very romantic Annabeth, but I don't think Wade would do all of this for me." Zoe put her hand over Annabeth's.

"Well, he hasn't takin' any girls home since Joelle dumped him. I think he still has feelin's for ya, Zoe." Annabeth was an incurable romantic.

Zoe put up her index finger to stop Annabeth. "Not falling for that again."

Lemon chimed in then. "He's planning a big shin-dig next month to celebrate. We won't go if you want to do a girl's night instead."

Zoe put on her brave face. "No, don't be silly. You should go. I'm sure knowing Wade it will be a great party. Just stay away from the body shots."

They all laughed at that. Zoe stayed with the two of them until it was time for her to get back for her next appointment. Lavon was coming in for a physical.

Lavon walked into the office and greeted Addie. Zoe wasn't back, but Addie showed him to an exam room where he could wait for her. After she closed the door, Lavon opened the window. Wade was waiting in the bushes and Lavon pulled him in.

"Now listen, don't make me regret this. You hear me, Wade?" Lavon was a sucker for a big romantic gesture, but he didn't want Wade messing with Zoe again.

Wade brushed his green button down dress shirt and wiped some of the brush off his khakis. He showed Lavon the wild flower bouquet he had brought with him as proof. "Look Lavon, I am not gonna to blow this and say somethin' stupid. I promise. Now get."

Lavon smiled at him and slid out the open window. "Good luck, Wade."

Zoe came into the office and saw Addie sitting at the reception. "Lavon's already here. I put him in exam room one."

"Great. Thanks Addie. I brought this for you." She handed Addie the slice lemon meringue from Agnes'.

"Oooh, my favorite! Thanks Zoe." Addie rubbed her hands together in excitement.

Zoe was laughing and looking at Addie when she opened the door to the exam room so she didn't notice who was standing there until the door was closed. When she did she dropped Lavon's chart. "Wade?"

"Listen Zoe, I needed to talk to you and I was afraid if you knew it was me you wouldn't see me. Please give me a minute to talk to you."

She noticed the flowers in his hand and how nicely he was dressed. His hair was combed back and his green eyes pleaded with her. Seeing him made her more aware of how much she had missed him. She picked up the chart and put it on the counter. "Okay," was all she said.

Wade walked slowly towards her and handed her the flowers. "These are for you."

She took the flowers and looked at them. They were really pretty. "Thank you."

"I screwed up Doc. I'm so sorry about what I said. I'm not very good at havin' feelins' for someone and I was scared you were gonna drop me. I thought if I pushed you away that I'd be better off. I figured out pretty quick that wasn't true. I know you got no reason to believe me and if you tell me you to leave you alone, I'll hate it, but I will." Wade slowly walked closer to Zoe. He lightly touched her hand. "But I'm kinda hopin' you'll let me take you out on a date."

Zoe was stunned. Her mind was spinning a little from it all. She wasn't sure what she was feeling or if she should trust him. It was that thought that came out of her mouth first.

"How do I know this isn't just another prank?" Zoe asked.

"Because I swear to you, I'm not jokin'." Wade said. "Will it help if I ask again? I'd really like to take you out on a real first date."

She couldn't say no, but she couldn't say yes either. She missed Wade and knew now that she really did like him, but putting herself was not something she had ever been good at. She was even more afraid after what he said the last time anything like this came up. Since she couldn't say yes or no, she opted for the in between.

"I'm not sure." She said.

Wade knew he couldn't push too hard. He'd earned that answer, but he wasn't giving up either.

"Well, what if I come by and pick you up for dinner around 7pm. If you feel like goin', we'll go. If not… well, then I'll do whatever you want."

He waited what felt like an eternity, but she finally said. "Okay."

Wade smiled at her then and nodded his head to her before heading back towards the window. "Okay then. I'll see you at 7."

He slid the window up and started to pull himself through.

"What are you doing?" Zoe asked.

"I figure we don't need Addie seein' me leavin' your office instead of Lavon." Wade smiled. "Oh, and don't be mad at Lavon. I wouldn't leave him alone until he agreed to this." He smiled again and then slid out the window.

Zoe stood there while Lavon came back through the window. She laughed and shook her head. "Why Mayor Hayes, is that mayoral behavior?"

"Lavon Hayes would do anything to help his constituents." He smiled and bowed slightly towards her. "So watcha gonna do, Zoe?"

"I'm not sure." She said as she sat on the exam table, still holding the flowers. She brought them to her face and smelled. "He brought flowers."

"Yeah, he was pretty adamant about doin' everything by the book."

"What do you think I should do, Lavon?" She asked.

"What do you WANT to do? What is your heart sayin', not your head?" Lavon asked.

"I've missed him… a lot. I really want to go but I don't want to get hurt." Zoe figured there was no sense hiding it now, especially to Lavon.

"Well, if you want to go then you should go. Seems to me being afraid of getting' hurt is kinda silly since you're already hurtin'. Seems like given it a shot may make that hurt go away." Lavon had a strange ability for being wise in an unexpected way.

Zoe thought about what he said and slowly nodded. "You're right."

Then she stood up and got a needle and a urine sample cup from the drawer. Lavon scrunched his eyes at her. "What are you doin' girl?"

"Well, you came in for physical. If I don't have lab samples for Addie she'll be suspicious." Zoe smiled. She may not be mad at Lavon, but she wasn't letting off the hook completely.

"Fine" he said as he rolled up his sleeve. "No good deed goes unpunished."

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><p><strong>So next chapter is the big date. What do y'all think?<strong>


	3. Chapter 3 Be Set Free

**Chapter 3 ~ Be Set Free**

Wade knocked on her door promptly at seven o'clock. Zoe answered wearing a simple black dress.

"Hey." She simply said.

Wade smiled as he looked at her. He had worried he'd show up and find her in her pajamas. "Well hey yourself. You look…."

He took in her appearance and found he couldn't think of the right word to describe how stunning she looked. He closed his gaping mouth and handed her a bouquet of hydrangeas.

"Wow, they're beautiful. Hydrangeas are my favorite." Zoe lifted them up to her face. "Let me put them in water before we go." She motioned for him to come in.

Wade took a few steps into her apartment and looked around. He thought her apartment looked cozy, but sophisticated. She'd kept a lot of Harley's things apparently with old pictures on the walls and older medical book on the shelves, but added some of herself - He noticed an old map of New York framed on the wall. The place was uncluttered but comfortable.

Zoe came out of the small kitchen area with the flowers in a vase and put them on a table. "Flowers twice in one day, a girl could get used to this."

"I'm glad ya like 'em." He held out his hand. "Ready to go?"

She grabbed her purse and tentatively took his arm. She looked up at him with nervous eyes. He smiled and led her towards the door.

When Zoe stepped outside she looked for his muscle car but saw Lavon's navigator instead. She paused in front of it a little puzzled.

"I thought my car might draw some attention in your yard, so Lavon let me borrow his."

She nodded. "Good thinking. We don't need Bluebell on full alert."

"Exactly." He said as he opened the passenger's door for her.

As Wade pulled out, she asked where they were headed. "It's a surprise." He smiled.

They were quiet as he drove a familiar route. When they pulled into the plantation drive, she gave him a cute smirk. "I think I've been to this place before." She said.

"Maybe, but I think you might be surprised." Wade said vaguely.

He pulled up in front of the pond and turned off the car. Zoe went to open her door, but Wade touched her shoulder. "Stay here and close your eyes."

Zoe scrunched her face up suspiciously. "What are you up to?"

Wage looked at her without a trace of his trademark smirk. "Please. Don't ruin the surprise."

She smoothed her expression and sat back with her eyes closed. "Okay."

Wade got out of the car and she heard him moving around outside wondering what he was doing. She started to hear faint music. Finally she heard her door open and felt his hand on hers. "Keep 'em closed, Doc."

She smiled suspiciously, but did as she was told. She took his hand and he helped her out of the SUV. He held her hand and reached his other arm around her to steady her as he guided her. She was trying to figure out where he was taking her when he stopped. "Okay, you can open 'em." He said nervously.

She opened her eyes and there was a table beneath the trees near the pond and lights were strung all around them. The table was set for two with a bottle of wine and candles on the table. She heard the song that was playing the night she went to Wade's during the heat wave. He let go of her hand and pulled her chair out.

"Wade, this is incredible. How have you not blown a fuse?"

"New fuse box." He smiled sheepishly. "And, I wanted to do this right. Nobody else around, just you and me."

He opened the bottle of wine and poured them each a glass. He handed one to Zoe and then he sat across from her.

"To the new owner of the Rammer Jammer," Zoe said as she held out her glass to toast.

Wade offered a small smile and added his own, "To fresh starts."

After they took rather large drinks from their glasses to ward off the nerves, he asked how she'd heard about the Rammer Jammer.

"Actually I heard from Annabeth right before I came back to the practice to find you in my exam room." She flashed him a grin. "How did you end up buying it?"

"Well, ol'e man Tate has wanted me to take it off his hands for while so he could retire and Lavon finally talked me into it. I honestly never thought I'd be a respectable business owner."

"Why not?" Zoe questioned.

Wade looked at her raising his eyes brows. "Seriously? Crazy Earl's kid buyin' a business... I guess it's a bar, so maybe it ain't so far off the mark."

Zoe shook her head at him. "I don't know why you'd say that. I've never thought of you as Crazy Earl's kid. Heck, I didn't even know until that night you sang him of the roof of the hardware store… And I told you I thought of what you did."

Wade smiled when he remembered. No one had ever called him that. "Yeah, you thought it was kinda heroic. No one ever said somethin' like that to me before."

Zoe looked down when he said that. "No one ever told me I showed someone how to be amazing."

"I find that hard to believe." He answered. She looked at him expecting his smirk, but could tell from his face he was being honest.

Looking at him and around at what he had done, she knew it was her turn to apologize.

"Wade, I'm sorry about how I said… what I said that night. I sounded like such a stuck up jerk." She looked away from him, embarrassed thinking about it. "Trust me. I took a long look in the mirror after that."

Wade reached across the table and touched her cheek to turn her face towards him. "Hey Doc, there's no need to apologize. I was the Grade-A jerk."

She had that look on her face, all vulnerable. The conversation was going backwards and not forward. He just wanted to move on. "Speakin' of Grade-A, I should put the steaks on and get you yer dinner. Don't go nowhere."

She watched as he stood up and walked towards his place. He was wearing the white shirt he had on in the bar the night of the Memory Matron fiasco. She'd had a lot of fiascos. She squeezed her eyes shut thinking about them. Thanks to that night with Wade things had started to turn around. She lost herself to thinking about it when she was jogged out of her head by Wade's return.

"You okay?" He was looking at her a little concerned – _was she not having a good time_?

"Oh yeah, I was just thinking about my VERY bumpy beginning in Bluebell." She shook her head, but smiled at him.

"Well, that doesn't seem to be the case now. I hear even the Breelend's are members of the Zoe Hart Fan Club."

"I wouldn't go that far, but…" She pursed her lips together and nodded thoughtfully, "Things have come a long way. And I have you to thank for that in a really perverse way."

Wade walked to the grill and put the steaks on. He really just wanted to not talk about that night, but she kept bringing it up.

"I don't think I deserve any thankin' for what I did. I am really sorry, Doc." He kept his back to her as he spoke working on the grill.

She stood up and walked towards him. She tugged on his shoulder so he'd face her. She put her hands on his chest. "I accept your apology. Will you accept mine?"

He furrowed his brow a little. "Yeah, I do, but can we not talk about it anymore tonight?"

"Deal." She smiled and nodded. "So what are we having with the steaks? Can I help?"

He gently pushed her away. "Nope, I got this. You go sit and enjoy your wine."

"Okay." She said as she made her way back to her seat.

Wade finished the steaks and grilled some asparagus. They both dug in and ate their meal, talking about what had been happening during their prolonged cooling off period. After they both finished, he took both their plates and brought them into the house. He walked back out with another bottle of wine.

He saw her standing with her back to him, under the lights and trees, swaying to the music. He put the wine on the table and walked towards her. He put his hand out and tilted his head. She took his hand and they began to dance.

"I love this song." She said quietly into his chest. Poison and Wine played in the background.

"I know. I saw it on your IPod when I changed all your music." He laughed quietly in her hair.

He felt her smile against his chest and held her a little tighter. As they danced, the pull towards each other grew. He wanted to kiss her. She breathed in deeply, she felt a little dizzy. When the song ended, she pulled away a little and smiled shyly. "Did I see you brought wine?"

"Uh yeah, come on. I'll open it." He led her back to the table, not letting go of her hand till he picked up the wine. He poured and handed her glass to her.

Zoe took a long sip. She gazed up at the lights then her eyes moved down to watch their reflection in the small pond. "This is really amazing." She said again.

He stood in front of her and stared into her eyes. "Hey, ask me that question?"

She looked at him like a deer in headlights. She steadied herself before she spoke. "Wade, do you like me?"

He stepped closer to her. "I do. I like you, Zoe." Then he put his hands on her cheeks, leaned in and kissed her. It wasn't like the other times they'd kissed. It was slow and long. He only pulled back reluctantly, keeping his hands on her cheeks. "I really do. And if may be so bold, would you go out with me again?"

She smiled at him. "Yes, I'd really like that." And then she reached up and pulled him into kiss her again.

He didn't try anything else that night. They drank their wine and talked and they each stole a few more kisses. When it got late, he drove her home and walked her to her door.

"What time you done tomorrow?" He asked her when they reached her door.

"My last patient is at two o'clock. I should be done by three."

"How 'bout I pick you up after that? I got somethin' I wanna show you."

"What?" She was curious.

"Oh no, it's a surprise." He answered.

"You sure have a lot of surprises." She smirked.

"Oh girl, you have no idea." He smirked back. "…So about four?"

She nodded. "Okay."

He leaned in and kissed her again. This one had a little more fire. Neither one wanted to stop, but he pulled away finally.

"Wooo girl, you are dangerous." He smiled as he gave her one quick kiss before moving towards the SUV. He pointed towards her. "Tomorrow."

She smiled back. "It's a date."

Then she turned and opened the door. He watched her close it behind her before he drove away. He shook his head in disbelief, but smiled wide the drive back to the plantation.

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><p><strong>So what do you think? Good first date? Next chapter is the morning after... coming soon.<strong>


	4. Chapter 4  Interlude

**Just a little somethin' while I am working on the second date. Lavon needs to be updated, after all. ****Thanks for all the lovely reviews. Can't wait to hear more!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hart of Dixie nor its characters. **

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><p><strong>Chapter 4:<strong>

Wade walked into Lavon's kitchen. Lavon was sitting there reading the paper when he came in. Lavon promptly put the paper down and looked at Wade, waiting for him to spill.

Wade didn't say anything. He went to the refrigerator and got some milk. Lavon watched as Wade filled his cereal bowl and poured the milk in. Lavon couldn't read him – whether the night before went well or not.

"Come on, man. Why you doing this to your friend, Lavon?" The mayor finally broke down. "What happened with Zoe?"

Wade was hunched over the island and he looked up with a devilish grin. "A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell."

"Awww yeah, so there was kissin'?" Lavon walked over and slapped Wade on the back a little harder than intended.

Wade coughed. "Geez Lavon!"

"Sorry, I'm just happy for you two."

Wade smiled. "I'm takin' her out again today."

Lavon looked approvingly. "A second date. Damn, Wade."

"I'm gonna show that girl some good ole fashion Southern wooing." Wade smirked at him.

"Good for you Wade." Lavon said laughing. "You need the navigator again?"

"You mind? I'd like to go as long as possible without Bluebell all up in this."

"Nah, take it." Lavon headed towards the door.

Wade looked at him curious. "Where you headed?"

"I gotta go see Zoe." Lavon said as he walked out.

Wade threw a towel at the door and shook his head.

Addie watched Zoe all morning. She and Brick both noticed she seemed to be an awfully good mood. They hadn't ever seen her like this, but if there was a reason, Zoe wasn't spilling.

Lavon walked in to the office a little before lunch. "Hey Addie, is Zoe here?"

Addie nodded. "She's finishing up with Mrs. Davis. She should be out in a minute. You know what has her in such a good mood today?"

Lavon put on his best poker face. "Nah. Why?"

"That girl has been walkin' around here all mornin' like she won first prize at the fair."

Lavon shrugged. "Huh, really?"

Just then the exam room door opened and Zoe walked out. "Now just take it easy the next few days Mrs. Davis. Lots of fluids. If you aren't feeling better in a few days, give me a call."

She walked over to the reception desk where Lavon was. "Hey Lavon, you here for lunch?"

"Uh yeah, you hungry?" He answered taking her in. She was practically glowing.

"Starving! Let's go." She grabbed his arm. "Addie, I'll be back before Mrs. Boudreaux comes in. You want me to bring anything back for you?"

Addie still eyed her curiously. "No, I brought my lunch."

Lavon and Zoe walked out of the office. "So?" Lavon pounced on her the minute they were out of earshot.

Zoe smiled at Lavon. After she told him about their date, Lavon nodded approvingly. "Not bad. That boy sure knows how to redeem himself."

With wide eyes Zoe nodded deeply at him in return. "I know!"

Lavon laughed and put his arm around her. "Y' know Zoe Hart, things just might be starting to look up for you in Bluebell."

She looked down and smiled a little shyly. "Maybe they are."

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><p><strong>Next up? The second date. Stay tuned...<strong>


	5. Chapter 5  Lead Me Home

**So here it is - the second date. I wanted it to be one of those dates where they end up telling each other more of their stories and letting each other in. Y'know the ones where their heads would spin a bit from all they said about themselves and heard about the other. It's pretty long and, hopefully, juicy to make up for the short interlude chapter before. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hart of Dixie**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5:<strong>

Zoe stood in front of her closet staring at all the clothes it contained. She had no idea where Wade was taking her which made figuring out what to wear difficult. She finally decided to go casual since he was picking her up before sundown. It couldn't be too fancy if he was taking her somewhere in the afternoon.

Promptly at four o'clock Wade knocked on the door to her place. She had been pacing for the past fifteen minutes watching the clock as the minutes dragged. She took a deep breath and answered the door. He stood there in jeans and a t-shirt with his hands shoved into his pockets like he didn't know what to do with them. When he saw her his eyes seemed to dance – All she could do was plaster a nervous smile on her face.

_Pull it together dummy, _he thought to himself. _Remember what you said to Lavon – good ole fashion wooing. _

"Hey, you look great." He said.

Zoe looked down and grabbed a small purse. She'd never been very good with getting compliments.

"Well, it was hard to dress not knowing where we are going, but I thought since it was still daylight..." She shrugged slightly. "Do I need to bring anything with me?"

"Nope, just your amazin' lookin' self." He said and his eyes sort of sparkled at her. He held out as his hand to take hers.

She took his hand. He closed the door behind her and walked her to the car. The practice had closed early since Brick was off for the day and Zoe finished early so the lot was empty except for Lavon's Navigator. She smiled when she saw it. "The Navigator again, huh?"

He opened her door for her and shrugged. "I figured we could try to keep folks out of our business a little longer."

She got in and nodded. He got in on the other side and put his arm across the seat as he looked behind to back out, but left it there even after they were on the road. He lightly played with her ponytail as he drove and she didn't seem to mind.

"So are you offering any hints?" She finally asked. They had driven out of Bluebell, but didn't recognize where they were headed.

"It's one of my favorite places," was all he offered. Then he changed the subject. "So what did you do today?"

She decided not to push further on where they were headed and instead told him about Lavon coming to see her.

"Yeah, he was tryin' to get me to give 'em all the details earlier." Wade laughed.

"Oh and what do you tell him?" Zoe asked coyly.

Wade turned towards her and let loose a wicked grin. "I told him a gentleman doesn't kiss and tell." And then he leaned into to kiss her before focusing back on the road. He kept his grin. "What did you tell him?"

Zoe looked ahead and thought about the kiss he'd just given her. "I told him it was the best first date I ever had."

Wade didn't seem to expect that since he didn't have witty comeback handy. He simply nodded and dropped his arm from her shoulder to hold her hand. She smiled then. She didn't think she had ever seen Wade Kinsella speechless, but he just looked out at the road in front of them with a more content smile spread across his face.

She watched out the window and tried to figure out where they were going but it was no use since she really didn't know much outside of Bluebell, except the road the bus took to Mobile which they weren't on. Instead they traveled down a series of back roads; they hadn't been on the road long when Wade pulled down a dirt lane. Her eyes took in the oak trees that lined the narrow road. Then the tree-lined, dirt lane opened up to reveal a large lawn and an empty plantation home. Wade parked the car in front of the house, jumped out and opened her door, offering his hand to her.

Zoe's took in her surroundings. She lived at Lavon's, which was a former plantation, and had seen others, but this place was set back – secluded and peaceful. They may not have been far from Bluebell, but it felt a million miles away.

"What is this?" she asked looking around.

"Well this old place is where my Momma grew up. No one's lived here for ages though." He said simply and then pulled her hand slightly. "But this isn't what I wanted to show ya'. Come on."

She followed him taking in the house and the surrounding grounds. The grass was grown up but it was still open, without any trees or brush, and there were stone borders around grown up gardens of what seemed to be pink, yellow and blue wildflowers. They were walking down a path away from the house. They passed an old barn with warn red paint. She was walking slowly taking everything in and every so often Wade would give her hand another gentle tug to keep her moving with him.

He told her the place had been in his family for generations but had been empty since his grandmother died and his granddaddy moved to the nursing home in Bluebell. He pointed out places where he played as a kid and where things had been once upon a time. Zoe could easily tell by his retellings why it was one of his favorite places. They walked about a quarter of a mile and then he stopped and pointed. The plantation was on the top of a small hill and sloping downward in front of her was a wide river. The sun sparkled off the river and a small row boat sat along the shore.

"So Doc, what do ya' think?" he said.

"Wade, this place is beautiful." She answered. She pointed down to the shoreline where the small boat sat. "Is that your boat?"

He nodded. "I like to come out here and fish. It's real quiet. The other side of the river is state property and this old place is about 50 acres. Not a lot of people come around."

She was starting to understand there was a lot about Wade Kinsella she didn't know. He let go of her hand and started pulling things out of the bag he'd brought with him. He spread out a blanket and pulled out a bottle of wine and some food.

"Have a seat, Doc."

She sat on the blanket and he joined her handing her a sandwich. "It's nothing special – just chicken salad. I didn't have much time after I got off work."

"How often do you come out here?" She asked.

"Well, when I was kid I was out here quite a bit. After Momma died Crazy Earl pretty much fell apart and my grandparents more or less took us in. My grandma died after I started high school and granddaddy moved into the nursin' home so I wasn't out here as much. But I try to come out as much as I can."

After Wade sang Earl off the roof, Zoe had heard that Wade's mom had died years ago and figured that explained Earl's sad state. She understood having a place that was a refuge from your family's complex pain. But rather than spilling out all of that she simply said, "I can see why."

Wade looked surprised. "Really? I wasn't sure if you'd like it. I mean it's even more country than Bluebell."

"My grandparents had a house out in the country too. Well, not as country as this, but in Connecticut. My parents shipped me out there for most of the summer when I was a kid. It was on a river too."

Wade watched her, looking closer at her now. As she stared off across the river enjoying the memory she didn't look hard and take charge. Her eyes seemed softer and shoulders were more relaxed. It always struck him when she let down her guard. It was like being let in on a secret. He wanted to break through so he saw more of that, but he understood better than most how hard it is to break down years of carefully constructed walls. He never let anyone through his own and now he had met his match. He saw her return back from her remembering's and her guard came back up a little.

He opened the wine and poured each of them a glass. He handed one to Zoe and she looked towards him when she took it. Her eyes had a smirk-y suspicion to them.

"So how many girls have you taken out here?" Zoe asked with a smirk and then she took a deep drink from her glass.

"Actually, you're the first." Wade said. He downed a bit of his wine. He couldn't quite believe he'd admitted that.

Zoe's eyes narrowed. "I find that a little hard to believe."

Wade put his hand up as if to take an oath, "Scout's honor. The only person to come out here with me since Granddaddy moved out is George. We'd come out here some when we were in high school – camp, fish and drink beer. But I never brought a girl out here, not even Tansy."

"Huh" was her only reply.

"That surprise you, Doc?" he asked. He enjoyed catching her off guard.

She was still looking at him. Her head slightly tilted to the side, trying to figure him out. "Yeah, a little. Then why bring me out here?"

Wade looked out and then to her. "Because you're the first person I ever wanted to."

Zoe could feel her heart starting to race. One part of her was ready to swoon, but another part was terrified. Terrified because she really wanted to know these things about him. She wanted to know what made him tick. And she wanted him to know those things about her. The months she hadn't spoken to him she realized that more and more. But part of her still felt like she was slightly defective when it came to relationships no matter how much she'd improved her bedside manner.

Wade saw her eyes go wide and while he might not have known the exact words of her internal dialogue, he knew her well enough to know she was in a tailspin. He put his glass down, leaned in and kissed her.

When he kissed her, all the thoughts blew right out of her head. Zoe kissed him back, but then started to giggle. Wade pulled back and looked at her with narrowed eyes. "Well, that wasn't quite what I was expectin'."

Zoe let out another small laugh and slightly blushed at the same time. "I'm sorry. I just remembered when I was ranting to you about the Founders Day float and you kissed me. You just did that again, didn't you?"

"Well, you had that look on your face that you get when your brain starts moving a million miles an hour and I thought I could help break you outta that." He chuckled himself.

She smiled and shook her head. "How is it that you get me when I'm not entirely sure that I get me… and I'm pretty sure no else does?"

"I don't know, Zoe." He shrugged slightly. "Just like I don't know what it is about you that makes me want to do better… or more."

She was stunned when he said that. "Really?" She said softly.

He nodded as he sucked in a deep breath. "Yeah, you never look at me like I'm Crazy Earl's kid that'll never be nothin'… it's like you see more than that. And you lookin' at me like that makes me wanna to do somethin' with myself. "

Wade bit his top lip. He stretched his head back a bit rubbing the back of neck. He let out another breath before he finished. "That's part of why I'm buyin' the Rammer Jammer. I actually wanna be the person you see. I wanna be someone that deserves you."

Zoe took it all in. No one had ever said something like that to her before. The terror was totally taken over by the swoon. She leaned forward onto her knees and pulled him in to kiss her. She put everything she was feeling but didn't know how to say in her kiss. Wade felt it and responded in kind. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into him. Her fingers tangled his hair and he leaned her back on the blanket without breaking the kiss. It was different from last night; there was no reluctance or shyness. It was a kiss building towards something more. Her arms moved down his back and she knotted his T-shirt in her hands. His hands moved down her sides, but when they reached the hem of her top he stopped. Slowly he pulled away. They looked at each other with mirroring expressions of want and holy-crap.

Wade lightly traced down her cheek with fingers. "While that was amazin', uh…" he started to say, but Zoe finished.

"We should probably slow this down." Her arms were still around him as she spoke.

Wade nodded. "Although it's takin' every ounce of self-control I have to not rip your clothes off."

She smiled broadly when he said that and sucked in a deep breath. "I know what you mean, cowboy."

He sat up and shifted her so she was resting against his chest looking out at the river. He traced down her arms with his fingers. As their breathing started to return to normal, Wade decided to try and resume the conversation they were having before things got so intense. "So you like this place, Doc?"

He felt her head nod against his chest.

"Will you tell me about your grandparents?" She asked.

"They were Momma's side and never much liked Earl, but they were good to us kids. Granddaddy taught me to fish. He's really funny too. People say I look like him, but I don't know 'bout that. Grandma was a tough Southern gal, didn't take no bull. But she was real kind. The first person there if you was in need. I think the whole town came to her funeral." Wade's voice was relaxed and easy. It was good talking about them. "So you spent a lot of time with your grandparents too? What were they like?"

Zoe realized she hadn't talked about them in a long time. Her Mom wasn't close to either of them and Zoe had the impression they were better grandparents than parents.

"They were my Mom's parents too. My grandmother was very strict and made me take piano, elocution, French…you name it. She had clear ideas of what she expected, but Grandpa was funny and he could get her to loosen up, make her laugh. I'd go into town with him in the morning when he got the paper and a coffee. We'd sit at the counter at this little coffee shop and he'd talk to all the Local guys. He was a retired diplomat and spoke, like seven languages, but he was the nicest, most down to earth guy."

"Sound like good people." Wade said. "Did they both pass?"

Zoe nodded slowly. "'When I was in college. They were killed by a drunk driver that hit their car."

Wade squeezed her tight. "Yeah, that's how Momma died too."

Zoe was surprised by what he said. She wasn't sure if she should ask, but he brought it up. "What happened?"

She felt Wade stiffen a little. She took both of his hands. "You don't have to tell me."

"Nah, it's alright." He answered and rested his head on top of hers. "Earl and Momma were comin' back from a show in Mobile and Earl probably shouldn't been drivin'. I don't know exactly what happened, but he lost control of the car…"

Zoe was dumbfounded. She couldn't really wrap her head around how horrible it was. She couldn't imagine what it would have been like for Wade. She pulled his arms around her tighter and squeezed his hands. "That's awful, Wade."

"Yeah. Well, that's life." He answered. "Like I said, Granddaddy and Grandma took care of us and no one would let us in a car with Earl after that. And he never got over it. Wasn't much use in blamin' him when he never forgave himself. The drinkin' got even worse after that."

She didn't say anything else which Wade appreciated. Most people would give him a long talk about how bad they felt for him and what a low life his father was. She seemed to understand that wasn't what he was looking for and it only left him in a position of having to defend Earl. Zoe just pulled him closer to her and he was grateful for that.

They sat quietly for a moment and then Wade pushed her forward gently. "How 'bout I show you the house before it gets dark?"

They walked back up towards the house. Wade unlocked the front door and opened it for Zoe to step inside. She saw the house was still furnished with drop cloths over most of the furniture. The front hall opened to a large staircase. He showed her around the downstairs and then took her hand to lead her upstairs. The back of the house had a large porch on the second floor and he opened the doors leading out. From there was a view of the river and the sun that was beginning to set.

"Wow." Zoe let out. "That's really beautiful."

Wade came up behind her and rested his hands on her shoulders. They stood and watched the sun slowly descend until it dipped beneath the tree line across the river and the stars began to appear. With the sun down, the air began to chill and Zoe shivered a little.

Wade rubbed her arms and chuckled. "Well, you seem to be goin' a little soft there Doc. What's a New Yorker doin' shiverin' on an Alabama spring night."

Zoe turned and gave him the eye and lightly elbowed him in the ribs. Then she turned to walk back into the house.

Wade laughed again and followed her inside. "Wait here." He said and went downstairs.

Zoe couldn't see anything in the dark and started tapping her foot nervously. "You better get back here!"

She heard him laughing downstairs but thankfully the laughter got louder until he was standing in front of her with the bag from earlier and a lit candle. He looped his arm around her waist and started guiding her towards one of the rooms. They got to the door and he let go of her. Wade busied himself pulling the cloths off some of the furniture, lighting candles, putting blankets down across the bed and getting the food and wine out of the bag. She smiled and walked over to it. He poured her a glass of wine and handed her another sandwich. She sat cross-legged across from him on the bed.

"I thought you weren't going to try to get me into bed tonight?" She said sarcastically while drinking her wine.

"Now girl, get your mind out of the gutter. I wanted to show you my old room. But if you're interested in somethin' more…." He reached over and gave her a quick kiss.

Zoe laughed and opened up her sandwich. "So this is your old room?"

"Yes ma'am."

She looked around and could see muscle car and professional wrestler posters on the walls. "I like what you've done with the place."

"Why thank you, Doc. Glad you approve." He laughed. "Never had a girl up here before. Grandma' woulda had my hide."

Zoe laughed and ate her sandwich. "Mmmm… where'd you get this chicken salad? It's delicious."

Wade laughed again. "I made it. What? You think I only know how to microwave pizza?"

Zoe raised her eyebrows, "Well with no evidence to the contrary…"

"You've seen me cook before!" he said, slightly indignant.

Zoe shook her head. "Nope, don't think so - unless you consider adding milk to your cereal cooking. And grilling doesn't really count either. I know this because I can actually grill."

"Well, what about my gumbo? Sure was better than yours." He said annoyed.

"What gumbo?"

Wade realized what he had said and tried to back pedal. "Nothin', never mind. Just understand I'm a better cook than you, Zoe Hart."

"Wade, what gumbo?" She asked again but he didn't say a thing. Then it hit her.

Zoe scrunched her eyes. She began to piece it together. Lavon said he'd never used his gumbo pot, Wade said he had a great recipe. She smacked her palm on her forehead. "That was you! Not Lavon. Why didn't you say something?

She watched Wade rub the back of his neck in the irresistible way he did when he was unsure of what to do. "You made it clear you weren't lookin' for any more of my help as I recall…"

Zoe closed her eyes and remembered that day. The snake bite, her general snotty attitude. She shook her head. "I'm sorry I was such a jerk… but it was kinda of your fault I got that snake bite."

Wade nodded still feeling bad as he remembered. "Yeah, I know. That's part of the reason I made that gumbo."

Zoe smiled and put her glass down on the bed stand. Then she leaned over and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you. You're a very good cook."

He leaned in and kissed her. "You're welcome."

She kissed him again and soon they were wrapped around each other on the bed. They were practically panting when Wade pulled away again. "Zoe, I really want to take this further, but…"

She nodded at him and touched his face.

"I don't want to screw this up. This ain't about a free pass." Wade kept his eyes on hers, but paused.

She looked at him and nodded again. She didn't want this to be like her last relationship where they hooked up during a study session and never even really went on a date. "I don't want to screw this up either."

He pulled her beside him and leaned against the headboard. They drank their wine in quiet. He held one of her hands and lazily looped his fingers through hers and then traced circles in her palm.

Finally she spoke. "Thanks for bringing me here."

"Thanks for comin' along." He said still playing with her hand.

"Wade, you ever think of living here again?"

His head rested on hers and she felt him nod. "Someday."

They finished their wine and the candles had burned down. Wade looked down at Zoe who was had her head resting on his shoulder and her eyes closed. He rubbed her shoulder and she opened her eyes. "I should get you home." He said.

"Can't we stay here?" She asked quietly.

"I gotta get Lavon's Navigator back to him. He's headin' to Tuscaloosa in the morning for some alumni thing."

Zoe's face fell slightly. She didn't want to the night to end just yet. Wade seemed to get that. He brushed some stray hair from her face. "I think I have a nice boxed wine at home. We can drop off the car and have a drink at my place."

She perked up and nodded. "That sounds good. I do love a fine box of wine."

Wade chuckled lightly. "But no funny business, we know boxed wine is your Achilles' heel." He paused and smirked before he started to reiterate his witty comment about her Achilles hell. She put a finger over his mouth before he could finish.

"I'm going to stop you before you ruin this nice moment."

He chuckled again and started to get up. She helped him pack up the bag and put the cloth over the furniture. They made their way down stairs and he blew out the last candle when he locked up the house. He opened her door and found she had opened his when he got to the other side. She stayed close to him after he got in the car and for the drive back to Lavon's.

He dropped off the Navigator and they walked back to his place. He was suddenly wishing he'd picked up a little before he left, but didn't want to be planning on her coming back with him. He was trying to take things slow, but the night had swerved in an interesting direction. He would remain a gentleman though.

He opened the door for her and then took to gathering the shirts scattered on the couch and beer bottles on the coffee table. "Have a seat. I'll get you that wine," he said as he took the items gathered in his arms and hands with him.

She sat down on the couch and picked up his acoustic guitar. He heard her from the kitchen. She was picking out Wildwood Flower. He shook his head. She was never what was expected. He walked into the room and she was leaned over the guitar looking at the strings as she played and hummed along.

"You know that was Harley's favorite." Wade told her pulling her from her playing.

She looked at him with a funny expression. "It was?"

He nodded and sat next to her, putting the glasses on the table. "Uh huh, he'd always play it on the jukebox when he came into the Rammer Jammer. It's still there – none of could replace it after ole Harley was gone."

She put the guitar down. "My Mom always played that song when I was a kid, which was funny because she certainly isn't a big country music fan. Guess now I know why… It's nice to know maybe there was more between them than she let on to me."

She leaned towards the coffee table, took the glass from the table and had some of the wine. Wade could see her processing the new information.

"I didn't know you could play guitar." He said to pull her back.

She looked over her shoulder at him.

"I can't really. I told you how my grandmother insisted on piano lessons, right?" He nodded at her and she continued. "Well pianos are not very portable so when I was at college I got a guitar and taught myself. It was also good at keeping fingers quick and nimble which I thought would help with being a surgeon."

She drank the rest of her wine and leaned back into him.

"You are full of surprises, Zoe Hart." Wade said as he put his arms around her.

"Same can be said about you, Wade Kinsella."

He didn't say anything and neither did she. It was getting late and he wanted her to stay. He thought she wanted that too so he gathered up his courage to ask.

"You want to stay here tonight? No funny business though." He added the last part so she wouldn't think he was trying something.

She nodded and turned to him smiling. "Yeah, but I don't have any pajamas."

He got up and went into his room. He cleaned up as best as he could and then came back with some clothes in his hand that he gave her. He pointed towards a door. "Bathroom's in there if you want to change."

She went in the bathroom and changed into the t-shirt and boxers he'd given her. She found toothpaste on the sink and put some on her finger, doing her best to freshen her breath and brush. She folded her clothes and put them on top of the hamper in the bathroom. She walked out and found him changing his bed. He was only wearing a pair of gym shorts. She really wished he'd put a shirt on, without one it was difficult for her to remember her promise of no funny business.

He turned to see her in his t-shirt and boxers and her hair loose around her face. She looked beautiful. He pulled the covers down and she got into the bed. He turned off the light and then joined her. She turned to face him. He was lying on his back. He pulled her to him and she rested her head on his shoulder and ran her hand across his chest. He hummed a small noise. "Be careful, Doc. A man only has so much self-control."

She turned her head up towards him and he was looking at her. He leaned into kiss her and then slowly pulled away.

"Goodnight, Zoe"

She leaned in for one more light kiss. "Goodnight, Wade."

She returned her head to his shoulder and he slowly ran his fingers through her hair. She drifted off pretty quickly considering how wound up he had her. He on the other hand found sleep harder to find. He listened to her breathing and continued to play with her hair.

It was a lot to take in for one evening and here it was ending with her sleeping next to him after only sharing some heated kisses. He turned to breath in her hair. Whatever was going on here he knew he couldn't back away after tonight. He thought about the possibility of her going back to New York and his stomach turned. He pursed his lips and slightly shook his head. _Not letting that happen, _he said to himself.

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><p><strong>So? What do you think? Next chapter is the following morning...<strong>

**Share your thoughts, please!**


	6. Chapter 6  Something to Talk About

**Here's the next morning and a bit of the news breaking in Bluebell. I am trying to make Zoe and Wade a little more mature than the show has made them, I think they have it in them. I'm also not big on silly melodrama. I think they'll have some really issues come up without silly overblown things. Let me know what you think.**

**Thanks for the lovely reviews. They're spurring me on!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hart of Dixie, I just think the characters are more than they're getting credit for being at the moment. ;-)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6: <strong>

Zoe woke up the next morning to the sun coming through the window. She was still snuggled into Wade's chest and she could tell by the rhythm of his breath that he was asleep. She thought about the night before and how she had ended up staying with him. She never had a date like that. She'd let her guard down with him, and in the clear morning light she did not any regret because he had let her in too. She could not get over the way he just got her and how good it made her feel. She felt more relaxed in her own skin somehow and less alone. Her grandfather was the only other person that had understood her and that was obviously very different.

She thought about the first time she met Wade. She had definitely thought he was attractive, that hot make out session in his car was clear evidence of that. But her general preconceived notions about Bluebell and everyone who lived there had led her to think he was just a good old boy with generic beer breath. She squeezed her eyes shut at how stuck up and quick to peg people she had been when she arrived. She knew Bluebell had changed her and she wasn't unhappy that it had. She thought about what the Chief of Surgery in New York said to her when she didn't get the fellowship and how right he'd been. She started to wonder if she still wanted the same things that other Zoe Hart had. Bluebell had shown her what her life could be beyond her singular ambition.

She moved her hand over his shoulders and then became distracted by Wade's chest. It was really hard not to be. It was still golden brown and there was only a slight trial of light blond hair. She stopped herself from following it down to the band of his gym shorts but could stop herself from trailing her hands over his pecks.

He began to stir and she knew he was waking up. She stopped what she was doing immediately and slowly turned up to his face. His eyes were still heavy and blinking as he woke, but his smile was full blown. "Mmmm, no need to stop that on my account. I don't mind."

He began to tilt his head down to kiss her but she jolted back and pulled the sheet over her mouth. "Morning breath!" she said embarrassed.

Wade chuckled and tugged the sheet away from her mouth. "I don't think a little mornin' breath ever hurt no one." He said as he pulled her in for a toe tingling kiss.

She had to agree with him and gave into it quickly. Her arms moved up his and over his back. She discovered his skin felt incredible and enjoyed not having his pesky t-shirt in the way. He rolled on top of her and deepened the kiss, taking his time to fully enjoy the pleasure of waking up with Zoe Hart. She liked the weight of him on top of her and tried to pull him closer. His hands moved down the t-shirt of his that she was wearing and he slid his hands under it and felt the skin along her waist. She didn't stop him, instead running her hands down his lower back. His thumbs slowly moved over her stomach and it was becoming harder to ignore the voice in his head telling him to stop. He pulled back reluctantly and she caught her breath. Her brown eyes were wide and he stared deep into them. "Whoa," he let out in a low groan before he gathered himself. "'Mornin'"

Her face was flushed. "Good morning" She said before taking her hands up to his face and kissing him again slowly. She pulled back.

He slowly rolled off of her letting out a deep breath, "Mercy."

She stayed lying on her back and let her breathing regulate. "It's really hard to keep my hands to myself around you." She laughed.

He rolled on to his side towards her. "I know what you mean, Doc." He mumbled before dipping in for another short kiss.

He rolled her on to her side and pulled her back against him till she was snug against him. She took his hand and weaved her fingers into his. This seemed like a safer way to go. "So you got any big plans today?" he asked her.

"Nope, it's Saturday and Brick's on call this weekend."

"Well, Lavon's gone till tomorrow. Wanna head up to his kitchen and I'll make you breakfast? I'm afraid all my good intentions won't do me no good if we stay here."

"Yeah plus I'm starving." She said as she pulled away from him and started to get out of bed.

He watched her stretch her arms over her head and run her hand through her hair to pull it out of her face. She walked over to a laundry basket with clean clothes and pulled out another of his t-shirts. He couldn't help liking the way she looked in his t-shirt and boxers. "I'm going to get dressed" she said to him over her shoulder as she walked towards the bathroom.

She came out a few minutes later wearing the new T-shirt of his that she found. He face was fresh and he hair pulled into a ponytail. Wade was dressed and handing her a cup of coffee as he passed her on his way to clean up in the bathroom.

She took the cup and walked out on the porch. She looked out to the pond and saw the table and lights were still there from her first date. Then she looked at the carriage house. It was strange but it felt like years since she had lived there. A lot had changed in the months since she moved into Harley's old place.

Wade came out his face freshly washed and shaven. "Ready?"

They walked up to Lavon's and saw the Navigator was gone. He opened the kitchen door for her. She had become accustomed to the way men did that here, but had to admit she liked it even more when Wade did it for her.

She plopped down on one of the island chairs with her coffee while he went straight to the business of making breakfast. "What d'ya feel like? I can cook up some French toast and bacon?"

"Mmm…that sounds great."

Wade pulled the eggs, milk and bacon from the fridge. He was taken by how normal this felt, but he didn't dwell on it and got busy making French toast.

Zoe looked at the island and saw a pad with a list written out on it. She picked it up. It had a bunch of items on it he must have been planning for the Rammer Jammer. Update menu, new jukebox music, strip and refinish floor started the list and more items followed. She smiled and thought about what he'd said the night before. She was glad he was buying the place, whether she was part of it or not.

"So how are you making out on this list?" She waved the pad at him.

He looked over at her. "Uhh, pretty good. I got a new menu in mind. Shelly is designin' it and I'm givin' the cooks the once over on the recipes. I ordered the music for the jukebox, but I'm keepin' some of what's on there." He smiled as he said it. "'Can't get rid of some – the regulars like to play 'em."

She smiled knowing he was talking about Harley's song and probably a few others. Then he continued.

"But I haven't gotten over to see Shady and picked up the sander, sealer and finish to do the floors. The place is closed for the week so I can get a bunch done before the big shin-dig next Saturday. I'd planned to do the floors today, but I had a better offer." He chuckled over the griddle where he was flipping the toast.

Zoe didn't want to get in the way of his plans for the Rammer Jammer. It was too important. "You should do it. I don't want to get in the way of what you've got to do for your big re-opening."

Wade's smile faded a little. He'd been looking forward to spending the day with her, hell to be honest, the whole weekend if she'd be willing.

"I'll help, if you want." She finished.

He looked over at her with narrowed eyes and a skeptical look. "It's hard to picture you usin' a sander or polishin' a bar."

Zoe threw the towel that had been sitting on the island at him. "That may have been true of the old Zoe Hart you knew, but I'll have you know I did the floors at Harley's place last month with some help from Shady. He still appreciated what I did for Caleb."

He looked at her slightly bowled over. "Really?"

"Yes sir. Turns out my attention to detail and superior eye-hand coordination make me pretty darn good with an edger. You'd be a fool to turn me down."

Wade let out a whoop. "Well then, how can I turn done such talented help?"

She cocked her side, "That's what I'm sayin'!"

He laughed as he put a plate in front of her and the syrup on the island before grabbing his own. She dug in and couldn't help the small moan that escaped her. "God, that's good."

Wade wagged his eyebrows at her. "Girl, you keep makin' sounds like that and I'll come up with whole bunch of things to do to you."

Zoe looked down blushed a little. "Perv." She said quietly and then smiled thinking how she'd enjoy that.

She looked at him again and he wagged his eyebrows again, then started to laugh.

After the finished breakfast, Zoe cleaned up the dishes and Wade finished his coffee.

"So Zoe, I figure if people see me dropping you off and then you headin' over to the Jammer when it's closed it might get folks to talkin'. You ready to go public with us?"

She glanced over her shoulder from the sink and saw he was biting his lower lip. She turned back to the dishes and couldn't help the grin that escaped. "I am if you are."

He rolled his tongue over his lower lip then and grinned. "Well alright then. Let's get goin'" he said as he walked by her and lightly smacked her butt. She shook her head and giggled under her breath.

The practice was closed so there was no one to see him drop her off. She changed into the clothes she'd worn when she refinished Harley's floors and headed out towards the Rammer Jammer. She saw Shady when she passed the hardware store and he eyed her curiously. "Whatcha up to Doc? Your floors are lookin' mighty good and Wade already rented the sanders."

"Oh just being neighborly, Shady" She said coyly as she walked by.

The three old ladies watched her walk down towards the Rammer Jammer. "Huh, now ain't that somethin'. Dr. Hart looks like she is headed towards the Rammer Jammer in some 'get handy' clothes and Wade Kinsella just picked up all that stuff from Shady. Hmmm…" one of the ladies began.

"Maybe they gone kissed and made up." The other said.

The first one gave the other a look, "Well that boy better not mess it up again - makin' bets and what not."

The other nodded. "MmmHmmm."

Zoe walked into the restaurant/bar and saw George there talking to Wade. She stopped, but decided she'd told Wade she was ready to go public if he was. "Hey George." She said walking over towards them.

George turned around and looked at her a little stunned. He first got over the fact that she was standing in the Rammer Jammer and then took in her appearance. "Well hey Zoe. What are you doin' here."

"I told Wade I actually have mad sanding skills." She said

"George, honey, are you stayin' to help Wade or…." Lemon walked in but was stopped in her tracks by the site of Zoe. "Uh Zoe Hart, what are you doin' here?"

Zoe looked up at Wade. He was biting his lip and rubbing the back of his neck again. "You see," Zoe started and then she grabbed Wade's hand. "Wade and I sort of worked things out."

Wade looked down at her and smiled appreciatively. Lemon and George nodded blankly - both of them speechless. "Well" George said looking at Lemon and then back at Wade and Zoe. "We're happy for ya'."

Lemon snapped out of her fog and grabbed Zoe's hand dragging her to the Ladies' Room. "Zoe, I've gotta go to the Ladies, why don't you come with me."

Zoe looked back helplessly at the two men, but the just laughed and shook their heads knowing they were helpless to stop Lemon.

Once in the Ladies' Room Lemon pounced. She put her hands on Zoe's shoulders and looked at her with an expression that said she was determined to get every detail. "So?"

Zoe let out a breath and started telling Lemon about finding Wade in her exam room instead of Lavon. Lemon put up her hand to stop her and pulled out her cell phone. "'Might as well save you the trouble of tellin' this twice. I know Annabeth is at the bakery. She can be here in two minutes."

Lemon called AnnaBeth and told her to get to the Rammer Jammer quickly and meet her in the Ladies. There was scoop she needed to know.

Meanwhile George slapped Wade's shoulder good naturedly. "So, you and Zoe, huh? It's about time you got off your butt."

Wade laughed and grabbed two beers from behind the bar. "Yeah, I figured I needed to man up and stop hopin' I'd accidentally run into her and she'd forgiven me."

Wade handed a beer to George which he accepted. George motioned towards the Ladies' Room. "You know they're gonna be a while in there. Lemon's not gonna let her out until she's satisfied Zoe's given her every detail."

Just then Annabeth came rushing in, waved at George and Wade and made her way to the Ladies' Room. George looked at Wade, who was clearly in agony knowing AnnaBeth had joined Lemon in ringing everything out of Zoe, and couldn't help but laugh.

"Well at least this'll make it easier. Lemon and AnnaBeth will get the rest o' the town up to date pretty quick and save tellin' more people."

George shook his head and smiled at Wade. "Oh I don't think you're off the hook there, buddy. Now that Lemon and AnnaBeth are Zoe's friends, they won't break the girl code."

Wade leaned against the bar and took a big drink of beer. "Aw come on now."

George sat at the bar then and started drinking his beer. He patted Wade on the shoulder. "You know, you should go see your Granddaddy and tell him all your news. He's gonna be real happy for you, Wade."

Wade looked over and nodded. "Yeah, I already told him about buyin' this place and the courses I was takin', but I wanna take Zoe over to meet him. I think I've told each of 'em about the other."

George looked at his friend with a little surprise. "You told Zoe about your Grandparents?"

Wade took another drink of his beer and nodded. "Took and showed her their ole place yesterday afternoon."

George pursed his lips and nodded slightly, but didn't say anything else. He knew he was probably the only person Wade had taken out there since his grandma passed. Taking Zoe out there was no small deal.

After waiting a while longer, George and Wade started the work of refinishing the floors. Wade couldn't waste more of the day waiting for Zoe's 'mad sanding skills', as she put it, and wondering what they were talking about what making him a little anxious.

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><p><strong>So thoughts? Comments?<strong>

**I'm planning some good Zoe/Wade moments in the next chapter. Stay tuned.**


	7. Chapter 7  My Own Sinking Ship

**Here it is! **

**Thanks for the kind reviews. Hope you share what you think of this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hart of Dixie, but I do like it.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 7:<strong>

Zoe was leaning against the bar drinking a beer. She wiped her brow and waved to George as Wade walked him out. She took another drink of her beer and thought how good it tasted.

George had stuck around, since by the time Lemon and AnnaBeth released Zoe from the bathroom, the two men had already done both the 40 and 60 grit of sanding. At that point George wasn't going to Mobile, or anywhere else, covered in wood dust. So Annabeth offered to take the ride to Mobile with Lemon instead. After the girls left Zoe took a turn with the 80 grit while the guys enjoyed a break. They were both duly impressed watching Zoe move the sander around. As Zoe finished the third round of sanding, George started to use the edger and Wade began to apply the wood filler. By the end of the day they had finished buffing and applying the sealer to the wood. Tomorrow Wade and Zoe would come in and stain since, as Wade said, George was a good church-going gentleman and Zoe and Wade were registered heathens.

Wade came in and looked at her leaning against the bar drinking her beer. Zoe's hair had wood dust and dirt everywhere except where she covered it with the bandana. Her old college t-shirt and jeans were filthy. He walked carefully over the dried areas of the wood to her and she went behind the bar to hand him a beer. Wade shook his head admiringly at her. "Zoe Hart, you do not disappoint."

Zoe shrugged her shoulder with her hands palm out in front of her. "What did I tell you?" she said

Wade laughed, "Mad skills."

She widened her eyes and nodded, "Exactly – mad skills. Wait till tomorrow! You think I'm good with a sander, wait till you see me with a staining brush."

He leaned against the bar and laughed. Then he looked at her seriously. "Thanks."

Zoe shrugged again, but more modestly. "AnnaBeth and Lemon are calling you my boyfriend now, so I guess that makes me your girlfriend and isn't this what girlfriends are supposed to do?"

He leaned towards her then. "So what did you tell them?"

She leaned from the other side of the bar to him and said. "I had to give them a lot of details, but I didn't tell them everything."

He chuckled. "And what did you leave out?"

She was inches from his face. "Well, they demanded to know if you were as good of a kisser as they heard… so I confirmed that. But I didn't tell them I stayed over last night or much of what we talked about at your grandparents' place," Zoe looked down for a moment, "though Lemon guessed you told me about your Mom."

Wade nodded. How his Mom died was not a secret in Bluebell, so he wasn't surprised. He lifted her chin with his hand. "How Momma died ain't a secret. Don't worry 'bout that, Zoe." She nodded slightly.

He didn't want to dwell on it and decided to focus on her comments on his kissing. "So they heard I was a good kisser, huh?"

Zoe rolled her eyes. "Yes, I am sure you had no idea of your reputation."

He hung his head a bit, chuckling under his breath, and then lifted his eyes to her, "Maybe. But I don't know what my new girlfriend had to say."

Zoe looked at him smiling coyly. "I told them it was even better than your reputation suggests."

She leaned over the bar and kissed him.

Wade pulled back slowly with his eyes still closed smoothing his lips together. "Mmmm… girl you ain't so bad yourself."

Zoe leaned back a little and took in where she was standing. "You know, I kinda like being on this side of the bar."

"Do ya now?" He smiled. "You want a part-time job?"

Zoe scrunched her nose and laughed.

He walked down to the end of the bar and held out his hand. "You about ready to get out of here then?"

Zoe nodded and tossed her beer bottle in the recycling bin under the bar. "Oh, I also let Lemon and Annabeth off the hook and told they could fill the inquiring minds of Bluebell in on us. They said they'd keep things with us quiet, but I thought it would make it easier if they got the word out quickly. Hope you don't mind."

Wade let out a relieved sigh and ran his hand through his hair. "Fine by me. George mentioned somethin' about a girl code, but I was kinda hopin' they'd go and blab, save us from some of it."

She took his hand and they closed up for the night. They walked back to her place. The streets of Bluebell were quiet by that time, the inquiring minds missing a prime new couple sighting. Wade and Zoe, however, did not seem to care.

"What now?" she asked as they walked into her apartment.

"Well, I could kiss you good night and meet you at the Jammer tomorrow…" Wade was the one being coy now.

Zoe tilted her head "Or?"

"Or you could bring some things back to my place and we could have another sleepover. Lavon won't be back and I could make you breakfast again before we get to work."

Zoe lightly pushed him onto the couch before turning towards her room. "Have a seat. I want to clean up a little and then it'll only take me a minute to get my things."

He heard Zoe turn on the shower and made himself comfortable. He thought about Zoe taking a shower and how much he'd like to join her, but restrained himself. Wade was trying to do things differently with Zoe, although every time he thought about one of the make out sessions they'd had over the past twenty four hours his resolve would weaken. He needed a distraction and looked around her apartment. He took notice of her floors and had to admit they looked pretty good. Then his mind started to wander to how sexy she looked earlier - all sweaty and using the sander – and he began looking elsewhere for his distraction.

He looked on her coffee table and saw a stack of postcards. He picked them up and started to leaf through them. They were all to Zoe from Harley. He started to notice the postmarks and noticed the ones sent after Harley had died.

Zoe popped out after her quick shower wearing clean jeans and a sweater. Her hair was still wet and she was combing it. Wade looked at her like a man looked a glass of water after a week in the desert. Zoe noticed his look and wondered if he was going to make a move, but he refocused back on the postcards.

"He sent you all of these?" he asked.

She nodded. "Four years' worth."

"I'm sure glad he was persistent." He said eyeing the postcards as if they contained state secrets.

Zoe sighed and walked back to grab her things. "Me too."

Wade carried her bag back on their walk to the gatehouse. He thanked her again for all her help and she uncomfortably told him he was welcome. He laughed at her unease with compliments and put his arm around her. When they reached his place he opened the door for her and put her bag down by his bedroom door before getting her a drink. "Beer or wine."

Zoe sunk onto the couch. "I think I'll stick with beer." She answered.

He returned with two beers, she took hers and knocked it back.

"Aww, big girl." He said the way he had the time she stopped in for a shot of bourbon. She laughed a little.

"Long day…And this," She said pointing to the bottle, "hits the spot."

He laughed again and put his beer on the table.

"Give me a minute to clean up and get all this grit and sawdust off me." He said as he stripped off his shirt and headed towards the bathroom. She heard the shower start and imagined Wade in it. Her imagination began to enjoy the image a bit too much, to the point where she had to will herself to stay on the couch. After a few deep breaths, she finished the rest of her beer and leaned back on the couch, closing her eyes.

Wade walked out of the bathroom in his gym shorts to find Zoe fast asleep on the couch. He sat next to her and picked up his beer. He watched her sleep as he enjoyed his beer. When he finished he ran his hand down her and arm and softly said her name. Her eyes blinked open and she rubbed her eyes with her hands. "I fell asleep." She said groggily.

"I picked up on that too." He said.

She yawned deeply and he stood up putting his hand hands out to her. "Come on. It's been a long day. Let's get you to bed."

She smiled and took his hands which pulled her up. She grabbed her bag and made her way to the bathroom. She changed and went about her nightly ritual of getting ready for bed. She wasn't gone long and came out in the black nightgown he'd seen her in at the fuse box more than once. His mouth dropped a bit and she smiled at him appreciating his reaction although she knew it was million years old and not so stunning. She walked over to him taking in his bare chest and gym shorts, and then she kissed him before getting under the covers. He got in after her and they lay on their sides facing each other. He reached out and brushed back her hair.

"I liked hearin' you call yourself my girlfriend." He said.

"Yeah?"

"Mmmhmmm," He said pulling her closer. "And you look pretty sexy usin' that sander."

"Yeah?"

He nodded - their faces inches apart. He stared at her until she reached for his face and started to kiss him. They each pulled closer and soon his mouth moved down her neck and her fingers laced in his hair as she gasped. Her hands moved down his chest. He started to move the strap to her nightgown down her shoulder. Then he stopped.

Zoe rolled onto her back partly frustrated. He leaned over her. "Zoe, I want you. You know I do, but…"

She didn't let him finish, but grabbed his face and kissed him again. He didn't pull back but rolled on top of her like he did that morning. They kissed each other until her lips felt bruised, but kept it PG, or at least PG-13. She knew what he was trying to say and agreed tonight was not the night, but she wanted him even if it was the PG-13 version.

Finally they slowed until he was running his fingers through her hair and kissing her lightly. She slowly rolled off him and snuggled her head into his shoulder, her leg tangled between his. He put his arms around her.

"Soon." He said with a light growl to his voice.

She nodded and repeated it.

"Sweet dreams, Wade."

"Well, you guaranteed that." He said.

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><p><strong>More to come... Please review!<strong>


	8. Chapter 8  Just a Kiss

_**The word is out and Bluebell is abuzz! Hope you enjoy.**_

_**Thanks again for the lovely reviews.**_

_**Disclaimer: I've said it before and I'll say it again, I do not own Hart of Dixie.**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 8:<strong>

_**Just A Kiss**_

Spring had certainly sprung in Bluebell with the sun coming up earlier and the temperature on the rise. Wade woke to the sun shining in his window and Zoe Hart snuggled against his side. It was only the second morning he'd woken up with her next to him, but he could easily get used to it. He looked down and saw her sleeping peacefully. He thought back to the night before, how the two of them were tangled into each other, kissing and engaged in some serious heavy petting. He'd made it to second base and lightly chuckled at the thought. He hadn't been excited about getting to second base with a girl since he was in high school. But there was something about the way he and Zoe were taking things slow that made things like second base exciting again.

He'd be lying if he said he hadn't been thinking a lot about rounding all the bases with her and after last night he wasn't sure how much longer either of them could hold out. But there was something inside him that was nervous about rushing things in that department. He knew his reputation and that Zoe was well versed in it too. He didn't want her to doubt that she was different.

The more he thought about Zoe and the sex they weren't having, the more difficult it became for him to stay in bed with her. All his good intentions of not jumping her could quickly leave his head with her this close to him. He slowly rolled her over, trying not to wake her. He knew she needed the sleep. She'd busted her butt helping him yesterday and was planning to do it again today. He quietly got up from the bed and kissed her lightly on the forehead before heading out to his small make-shift kitchen to put on a pot of coffee.

She woke about an hour later and discovered he wasn't there which was a major bummer, but she could smell the coffee coming from the other room and pulled herself from the bed. The morning air was still a little cool and she felt a little exposed in her slip nightgown so she pulled one of his button down shirts from the laundry basket she'd pilfered the day before and put it on.

She walked out to find Wade writing on a pad of paper. He had been working on his to-do list for the Rammer Jammer. He'd also made note that he had to get on Lavon's computer to submit the assignment that was due for his online class. He heard her feet padding out towards him and turned to see her with his shirt over her nightgown. He could not deny he liked that. He put the pad down and got off the couch. He walked over and gave Zoe a proper good morning kiss before getting her a cup of coffee.

"Mornin'" he said as he handed her the coffee.

"Good morning." She answered taking a long sip of her coffee. "How long have you been up?"

"Only 'bout an hour. You looked pretty peaceful and I didn't wanna wake you."

She shot him a mock annoyed look. "Yeah, well for the record I did not enjoy waking up to find you weren't there."

He put his arms around her. "Is that so?" he said.

"Yes, it is."

"Well, I'll keep that in mind." He said with a wry smile.

She pulled away and headed to the bathroom. "I'm going to get dressed so we can get going."

Zoe quickly got ready and they headed over to Lavon's for breakfast. The Navigator wasn't in the drive when they walked towards the house and Wade was secretly glad to have breakfast alone with her.

Just as she did the day before, Zoe plopped down on one of the stools to drink her coffee. She picked up the list Wade had brought with him and saw how many things he had to get done before Saturday. She was also impressed with his planning for the Rammer Jammer as the new owner.

"This is great, Wade. All the ideas you have, getting music on the weekends and an open-mic night during the week."

He was as bad as she was at taking compliments. "Well I guess we'll see, may be a big ole disaster too."

She shook her head. "I don't think so." She told him in her bossy New Yorker tone.

He laughed as he cooked up an omelet. "I guess that settles it then."

She nodded authoritatively and moved on to her next item. "But you have a lot on here to get ready for Saturday."

Wade's eyes got big and he let out a deep breath. "Yeah, it's a bit overwhelmin'. I also got an assignment I got turn in on Thursday for the class I'm takin'."

Zoe went through the list. There were things that she knew she could take off his plate. "I can take a couple of days off from the practice this week and help."

Wade shook his head. He put her breakfast in front of her and sat down with his. "Naw, Zoe I can't let you do that. You gotta make sure you have your patients for your part of the practice."

Zoe chuckled. "Oh you so need to get up to speed. I'm close to forty percent. I did a lot of bridge building in this community the past couple of months."

Wade pulled his back a bit and looked at her. "Forty percent?"

He knew Bluebell had begun to accept Zoe, but didn't realize how much so.

She nodded proudly. "With my volunteering at the Senior Center, the administrator at the nursing home asked me to spend an afternoon a week over there which has helped. And, although I doubt he'd admit it, I think Brick kind of likes me being around. He's been taking a lot of Friday afternoons and Monday mornings off to go fishing."

Wade nodded back approvingly. "That's my girl."

"So, you see, I have certainly earned taking a couple of days off to help my boyfriend, the burgeoning businessman." She said before eating the last of her toast.

Wade tilted his head to the side still unsure. Zoe reached over and took his hand. "Wade, I really want to. Let me do this for you?"

It was a strange feeling for him. He'd never really had someone in his corner like she was asking to be. Sure he had friends like George and Lavon who'd help him out, but that was different. It felt good to have her on his side, but he hadn't had much practice in really depending on someone. He nodded slowly and let out a droll smirk. "Alright, but I'm the boss – no pushy New Yorker shenanigans from you, missy."

Zoe straightened her back and mock saluted him "Aye, aye Captain."

Wade shook his head and laughed. Man, she scared the crap out of him, but he couldn't help himself. If this was the Titanic, he was going down with ship.

They quickly were creating some routine. Zoe cleaned up the kitchen while Wade drank his coffee and finished going through his list, figuring out what he could delegate to Zoe and what he'd handle himself. She agreed to help with inventory and wait for vendors as well a lot of the clean-up. She took a lot of the mindless stuff he didn't know how he'd find time for and he was kind of touched at how graciously she offered to do so.

"So what's your assignment?" Zoe asked as she finished loading the dishwasher.

"Actually, it's pretty convenient – putting together a business and marketing plan. I got most of it in notes or in my head, I just need to pull it together and type it up."

"That is convenient." She said. "If what I saw on your to-do list is any indication I bet you'll get an 'A'."

"Alright now, you need to cut that out." He said turning to get his keys and started for the door, she was just embarrasing him now. "'C'mon girl, you got some stainin' to do."

She smirked and found she really enjoyed watching how uncomfortable he was compliments. He might even be worse than her. But she shut her mouth and followed him out the door.

When they pulled up to the Rammer Jammer the town was full of people on their way to church. Zoe and Wade gave themselves a look of its-now-or-never. Then he gave her the eye and said, "Now let me open your door Miss Independent so people don't think I was raised in a barn."

She gazed at him with a saccharinely sweet expression and placed her hands on her lap. He chuckled; then got out of the car and walked over to open her door. She held out her hand dramatically and he took it to help her out of the car.

"Why thank you, Mr. Kinsella. You are such a gentleman." She said in her best belle imitation as she took his arm for him to lead her to the door. He shook his head and laughed.

What they didn't realize is that their little display had all the folks of Bluebell atwitter. Dash Dewitt found Lemon and George on their way into church and pounced. Brick walked over to Addie and Bill. "You know what happened there?" he asked Addie.

She shook her head, "No, but I think it might explain why Dr. Hart was in such a good mood on Friday."

The gossip continued until everyone had made their way to their pew. AnnaBeth and Lemon would have their work cut out for them this morning, but one person wanted to hear straight from the horse's mouth. Rose Hattenbarger was on her way to the Rammer Jammer as soon as the minister said the last Amen.

Wade and Zoe figured church was over when the steady stream of folks began dropping by to offer Wade some help. They both knew it was poorly veiled attempts to get a look at the two of them. George stopped in with a legitimate offer to help them stain and Wade was talking with him when Zoe saw Rose through the window bee lining towards her. Zoe walked out and met the girl outside the restaurant.

Rose's eyes were the size of saucers. "Well?" she said loudly as group of ladies passed them.

Zoe gently grabbed Rose's arm and said, "Let's take a walk, shall we?"

Rose noticed the women and caught on to the program. "Sure."

Once they were out of earshot Rose started, "So? What happened? Why didn't you call me?"

Zoe could feel the girl's hurt. "Rose, I am so sorry but honestly I haven't had time. It's all happened really quickly. I feel like I got swept up and haven't even stopped to catch my breath."

Rose swooned a little when Zoe said that. "Really?"

Zoe sort of shrugged. "Yeah, on Thursday I got back to the office for what I thought was Lavon's physical and found Wade in the exam room with flowers and a real apology. He asked me out to dinner that night and next thing I know I'm sitting at a table by the pond at Lavon's with lights in the trees and music playing."

Rose listened attentively and sighed. "Wow, Zoe."

"Wow is right. Then we went out on Friday and I spent all day here helping him yesterday and that takes us to now."

Zoe realized as she told Rose that there was really no way to explain to her, or anyone, how much had happened over the course of four days. She'd tried with AnnaBeth and Lemon too. It was kind of crazy when Zoe thought about it, but she couldn't deny it was all real.

Rose, ever the romantic, sighed and squeezed Zoe's arm. "I knew it would work out. I knew he liked you… And even though you denied it, I knew you felt the same way."

Zoe smiled at the girl and appreciated her unspoiled romanticism. "Well you were right, Rose, and you certainly knew more than I did."

Zoe and Rose walked back to the Rammer Jammer and Rose left to meet her parents at the Agnes'. Zoe made her way into the Rammer Jammer and found Wade waiting for her with a brush.

"Well, Zoe Hart, it has been quite the mornin', but do you think you might be ready to get down to work now?"

She smiled, took the brush and a bucket of stain and made her way to the back of the bar to start working. George came by in the afternoon and Wade insisted that Zoe take a break. She went to the Dixie Stop and picked up sandwiches for them, where she exchanged more weighted pleasantries with members of Bluebell's population all trying to find out what was going on.

When she returned with the sandwiches Wade and George had finished the first layer of stain. She gave them each a sandwich and they ate them out back.

"I should probably thank you two." George said with a chuckle. "Y'all will be the talk of the town for a while. 'Takes the spotlight off of Lemon and me for a bit."

"Glad we could be of assistance." Wade offered sarcastically.

Lemon dropped by with iced tea as they finished their sandwiches and they listened to her talk about wedding plans. Lemon was Lemon, but Zoe had learned that she was also a tough customer and loyal till the end. And, if she was being completely honest, Lemon shared the same almost zealotry level of perfectionism as she and didn't think Zoe was insane because of it. She and Wade talked about her taking time off to help during the week and how she'd manage her schedule at the practice. Lemon offered to come by and help with vendors which, while appreciated, Wade politely declined. But George offered to help Wade and Lavon move the furniture around later in the week and he accepted.

It had turned into a nice afternoon. George and Wade finished the second layer of stain on the floors and Zoe managed to give the kitchen the sort of cleaning only a surgeon would demand. George took off after they finished the floors, but Zoe and Wade stayed to put a fresh coat of stain on the outside tables.

They worked until well after dark and she leaned against Wade as they walked towards her place. He took in how tired she was.

"You want a call it a night, Doc?"

"I probably should. I have to be at the office early. Brick doesn't come in until noon on most Monday's" She said. "But you can come up for a little while if you want."

"I think I will." He said squeezing her closer.

She opened the door and turned on the lamp. The light was blinking on her phone and she rolled her eyes imagining what the message could be after a day at the center of the Bluebell gossip gristmill. She picked up the phone and listened to her message.

"_Uh Zoe, this is Brick. I'm plannin' on bein' in early tomorrow if you got anything you need to do in the mornin'. And, uh, Lemon mentioned you might have some, uh, things to do things to do this week and I can pick up the slack if need be. We can figure it out when you get in tomorrow. Um, have a good night."_

Zoe shook her head as she put the phone back on the receiver. Wade took in her expression and tried to figure out who called.

"That was Brick. He said he'd be in early tomorrow if I needed to take the morning off and could cover if I needed to take more time off during the week." She shook her head again and looked at Wade.

"Lemon," they said in unison.

Zoe looked over at Wade smiling. "Well, since I'm off in the morning, I could come back to your place if you're interested."

Wade leered at her. "Oh, I'm interested," he said as he pulled her closer to him.

Zoe pushed him away gently. "Then let me take a quick shower and get all that kitchen grime and stain off of me so we can go."

Wade sniffed around her neck and then scrunched his nose. "Uh yeah, that'd probably be a good idea."

She slapped him playfully and then headed for the bathroom.

After her shower she quickly pulled on a pair of leggings and threw on a tank top with a sweater over it. She packed up a bag for her slumber party and walked out to the living room. Wade was working on his list again. He looked up at her as he came out.

"Y'ready, Doc?" he asked. He looked beat.

She nodded and after the short walk back to the Rammer Jammer Wade drove them the short drive back to the gatehouse. He carried her bag and dropped it by the bedroom door again before heading into the bathroom for a shower. She changed into her nightgown while he showered and threw the shirt from earlier over it. She made her to way to his small kitchen and grabbed two beers from the fridge. She took a drink from hers and sat on the couch. She looked at the guitar and picked it up. She closed her eyes before she began to play. Her mind began to slowly relax as she plucked the piece from her memory.

When Wade emerged from the bathroom he heard what sounded inexplicably like classical music coming from his guitar. He saw it was Zoe playing. He slowly walked in and noticed that her eyes were closed. He listened and watched her until she finished. She smiled before she opened her eyes and didn't seem surprised that he was standing there.

"That was real pretty. What was it?" He asked her.

"Concerto in D major by Vivaldi," she answered as she put the guitar down.

He narrowed his eyes but the left side of his mouth was raised suspicious smirk. "I thought you said you couldn't really play."

She shrugged a little and picked up her beer. She handed him his and he sat next her.

She handed him the guitar and curled up on the couch, "Play something?"

Wade raised his eyebrows. He finished his beer and rested the guitar against his chest. "Well, now that you've gone and raised the stakes I'm gonna have to dig deep here."

He stretched his head back against the couch and started strumming, thinking of what to play. He started playing a sweet, rolling song with a distinct southern twang. He finished and started something new. She knew the song. She listened as he played and started to sing along.

_Somethin' in your eyes, makes me wanna lose myself  
>Makes me wanna lose myself, in your arms<br>There's somethin' in your voice, makes my heart beat fast  
>Hope this feeling lasts, the rest of my life<em>

_If you knew how lonely my life has been_  
><em>And how long I've been so alone<em>  
><em>And if you knew how I wanted someone to come along<em>  
><em>And change my life the way you've done<em>

He watched her as she quietly sang and thought about everything that happened over the past couple of days. Zoe had really started to let her guard down and, if he was being honest, he had too.

"Girl, I didn't know you could sing." he said as the song came to an end.

She snorted a small laugh. "That's because I can't."

He shook his head in disbelief. "Oh yes you can."

"You're the only one that thinks so," She said resting further into the couch.

"I doubt that." He said as he pursed his lips but he let it go and started playing again.

"Just play something, no more talking," she said closing her eyes again.

He complied with her request. It wasn't hard since playing his guitar was his favorite way to unwind at the end of the day. Well, maybe now it was his _second _favorite. After a few more songs he noticed she had stopped singing and found she was fast asleep. Wade put the guitar down. He gently scooped her up in his arms and carried her to bed. He got in next to her and spooned himself around her back; swiftly drifting off himself.

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><p><em><strong>AN: In my mind the song Wade played first was Little Martha by the Allman Brothers - seemed like Wade to me. The second song that Zoe sang along to is Feels like Home which has been done by a bunch of people.**_

_**More to come...**_

_**Please review, it is much appreciated.**_


	9. Chapter 9  Gonna Make You Love Me

**A new chapter...They're still getting things ready for Wade's re-opening of the Rammer Jammer. **

**The reviews have been wonderful. Thanks for the love.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hart of Dixie or an other copywrited material.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 9 – Gonna Make You Love Me:<strong>

The next morning found them busy. After another brief, but still mind blowing, make out session the two of them were up and dressed early. They headed up to Lavon's for what was intended to be a quick breakfast, but Mayor Hayes had other plans. Lavon was so excited to have Zoe back in his kitchen he insisted that they not rush out the door. They were able to get Lavon to release Wade since having him there was not much of an event. Wade made his way into Lavon's office to use the computer. As she watched him head around the corner Zoe had an idea.

"Hey Lavon, can you give me a ride to Mobile this morning?" she asked.

Since Zoe hadn't planned to be off this morning she decided to use the time to get Wade a "congrats on your new business" present. Having no major mayoral duties that morning, the mayor agreed.

Zoe grabbed two travel mugs and poured the coffee in it. The girl had a plan and did not intend to waste any time getting to work on it.

"Great, let's go." She said.

Lavon shook his head, a little dazed, "What…now?"

"Yes. This is a really busy week. I have to be at the practice this afternoon to work out a schedule with Brick. And there's no time the next few days with everything else. We should get going." Zoe looked at him like that was obvious.

Lavon eyed her like she was a wild animal that may pounce. He got up slowly and grabbed his keys. "Alright, but only because I'm findin' you a little scary right now."

Zoe gave her friend a quick hug and hurried to get her bag. "Thanks Lavon, you're the best. Let me tell Wade we're heading out."

Lavon was impressed with Zoe's gift idea. Her ideas swelled when she got to the store and Lavon let her go a bit before he reined her in - knowing when she began to cross over the line into crazy town. She begrudgingly agreed, but was still excited by her ingenuity. She was on a mission and would not be stopped. Lavon rolled his eyes at her as she called Tom Long and asked him to meet her at the Rammer Jammer later. She explained how Wade was making his own trip to Mobile that afternoon to pick up some things so she could move her master plan while he was away. Rubbing her hands together, she imagined having her surprise ready upon his return.

Part of the reason Lavon agreed to go was he wanted to get some scoop out Zoe of what had happened while he was in Tuscaloosa over the weekend, but he could barely get a word in the whole time. They made their trip to Mobile and back without him finding out much of anything except clearly Wade and Zoe had turned some sort of corner in their relationship. And this information was based more on her behavior then any actual details she offered.

Lavon dropped Zoe office at the practice right after lunch and she headed inside with her bags. Addie took her in as she came through the door. "Girl, did you buy out the Best Buy?"

Zoe shook her head, "No, but only because Lavon stopped me. I started to go overboard."

"You, I find that hard to believe." Addie said sarcastically. "So what is all of this?"

"It's a surprise for Wade." Zoe said.

Addie gave Zoe an almost maternal smile, "So you two worked things out?"

Zoe beamed a little and nodded, "Yeah, things are…really good."

Addie didn't pry beyond that and instead motioned with her head towards Brick's office. "Brick's in his office."

Zoe dropped the bags in her office and then went to Brick's. The door was opened and Brick seemed to be catching up on some paperwork. He raised his eyes over his reading glasses when she reached his door.

"Dr. Hart." He said taking his glasses off. "How are you today?"

Zoe smiled brightly and sat in the chair opposite Brick. "I'm good, really good."

Brick chuckled at her and sat back in his chair. He'd developed a paternal inclination for Zoe over the preceding months. It had grown greater after the last visit from her mother, not long after the Sweetie Pie dance. He could understand a little better why Zoe was the way she was when her Mom announced, in front of a full waiting room, that maybe Zoe should face the fact that she just wasn't relationship material. Brick had to pull that woman aside afterwards and give her a bit of a talking to. Then there was her no-show father who'd changed his phone number and moved without sharing his new address with Zoe. Lord knows Zoe could still try the patience of a saint, but he had come to the conclusion that she was like a more abrupt, New York version of Lemon. He did not feel the need to share any of this with Zoe, or anyone else for that matter, but found himself looking out for her a bit more than he thought he might.

"Thanks for taking care of things this morning." Zoe said.

"Lemon mentioned you were helpin' Wade out quite a bit. You want me to just cover things this week?" Brick asked. "Everyone's entitled to a few days off and you haven't really taken any time since you got here."

Zoe went back and forth. She was a bit of a whirling dervish. But as she went through her to do list, she decided it did make sense.

"That might be a good idea. Thanks, Brick." Zoe admitted. "But if things get crazy I can come in."

"No problem. I'll have Addie call you if things get particularly busy, but things should be fine." Brick said chuckling.

Zoe stood and started towards the door before pausing. "Thanks again. I really appreciate it."

Brick put his glasses on and went back to his files, waving her out. "Go on and get out of here. I'm sure I'll see you Saturday."

Zoe grabbed the bags from her office and said good bye to Addie, who wished her luck on putting together her surprise. Zoe got to the Rammer Jammer and poked her head inside to make sure Wade wasn't there.

Lavon was sitting at the bar and saw her. "He's gone. You can come on in. Tom's here too."

"Great!" She said rushing in her with her bags.

She dragged Tom to the office area in back and put him to work. The young man looked thrilled to be near Zoe, but also slightly terrified. She set him up with his assignment and then made her way out to the bar with the inventory sheets Wade had left her. Lavon had a couple of hours to kill before a meeting with the Junior League and decided to hang out with her. The comic relief she was providing in her current state was too great to resist. She enlisted him to help with the kitchen inventory which was more than he bargained for. By the time they finished, Tom was done too and Lavon walked him out. Zoe thanked them both profusely and the two men thought she was bordering on certifiable, but strangely charming at the same time.

Zoe was in the office putting the inventory information into the computer when she heard _"Empire State of Mind" _blasting from the jukebox out front. She busted out laughing and went out to find Wade standing there doing his best gangsta pose and rapping out.

"…_Statue of Liberty, long live the World Trade  
>Long live the King yo, I'm from the Empire State that's<em>

_New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of  
>There's nothin' you can't do…"<em>

Zoe thought his attempt at the Alicia Keyes part could use some work, but he kept going and came over to her, sweeping her into his arms.

"I just added this to the jukebox in your honor." He told her as they swayed to the music.

"Oh, I am sure it will be a big hit here in Bluebell," she joked.

"C'mon Girl, Jay Z is universal." Wade told her.

She laughed again, but enjoyed their impromptu dance - the boy had moves. When the song ended she took his hand, covered his eyes and brought him back to the office; no longer able to contain herself.

"Zoe, what are you doing?" He asked nervously.

"I'm the one with a surprise today." She told him excitedly.

"Oh hell, what have you done?" he said. Zoe was way too excited and it made him uneasy.

When she had guided him into the office she uncovered his eyes and shouted, "Surprise!"

Wade looked around. He saw a new laptop on the desk and the older desktop had been moved to a smaller computer stand near the file cabinet. "So this is what you were up to this mornin' when you kidnapped Lavon….What is all this?"

"I thought you could use a lap top so you wouldn't have to use Lavon's computer and then I thought it would probably help if you had some sort of network that linked the computer here to the laptop so you could keep track of things whether you were here or not. The laptop has the software you use for tracking expenses, income, invoicing, all of it." Zoe was so excited she was practically out of breath after she explained everything.

He shook his head. "Well, this is somethin'," he told her. "It's too much and I should refuse it, but it's also smart thinkin'."

Her saw her relief that he wasn't upset with her. She knew it was a risky idea and he found the look on her face priceless. He pulled her close to him and whispered in her ear.

"How can I thank you for this?" there was a sexy edge to his voice.

She smile coyly and moved her hands up his chest. "I'm sure we can come up with something."

He gave her a searing kiss and her knees buckled a bit. He pulled back and chuckled. "Well, I believe I just made you weak in the knees, Doc."

"Yeah," She gasped a bit, "I think more of that will work as a thank you."

He laughed and kissed her again. "Seriously though … thank you," he told her.

"You're welcome." She said becoming a little uncomfortable. She pulled back and changed the conversation. "Besides, it's a little selfish. If you have this," she pointed at the laptop, "you don't have to be here all kinds of crazy hours to get work done."

His lips spread into a sexy smirk and his eyebrows danced. "Is that so? Where do you think I should be instead?"

She rolled her eyes.

He laughed before kissing her again. When he pulled away his face was serious, he held her face looking into her eyes. "This is a amazin', but no more gifts, alright?"

She nodded. She knew he was proud and didn't want to feel like he was being propped up by her or anyone else. She could relate and respected that.

"I finished the inventory and put it in the computer." She said guiding him to the desk.

"Thanks," he said again sitting down and opening the file on the laptop. Before he dove into the paperwork, he looked up at her. "You're bein' amazin'… I mean it."

She mumbled something about it not being a big deal as she left his office. Wade leaned back in his chair and snickered watching her literally run from the compliment.

They were quite a pair.

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed a little zany Zoe. Please read and review. It's much appreciated.<strong>


	10. Chapter 10 When The Night Comes

**So here is a BIG chapter. Its long and filled with a lot of the things folks have been waiting for. I'm happy to post it tonight after tonight's episode - Team Wade fans can use the love right now. **

**Also, I'd like to serious thank everyone that has left a review or marked the story as a favorite. It means a lot. That being said, please add your two cents on this chapter too. It is always appreciated.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hart of Dixie, I'm just Team Wade - what else can I say?**

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><p><strong>Chapter 10 - When the Night Comes:<strong>

By Thursday night Wade had the place ready for the re-opening. This was largely due to a whole heap of help from Zoe. She had been amazing, pitching in where needed. She polished the bar, washed windows and did most of the other cleaning without a complaint. She even redecorated the walls in a way that kept the charm of the Rammer Jammer but added a bit more of Wade's personality to it. He would have been lying if he said he wasn't a little nervous when Zoe told him what she had done during a phone conversation while he was driving back from Mobile. Visions of her Homecoming party at Lavon's sprang to mind, but when he'd walked in the door he was knocked out. She had nailed it.

Besides Zoe, Lavon and George had been great too. They had helped him unload the new bar stools and move around table and chairs. The offer of their muscle had made the heavy lifting move quicker and also spared Wade's back quite a bit.

He knew on that drive back from Mobile that things were ready. Realizing he basically had a free day, he thought about doing something with Zoe before the big opening. He wanted to show her how much he appreciated all her labor and the really smart tech support she'd provided earlier that week.

_We're also both ready to take things further in a more intimate sense_, he thought. But given how tired they'd been with all the work and their combined intent to make it more than some casual thing that just happened one night, they hadn't gotten past third base. Not that he was complaining; there was an anticipation that accompanied the buildup that he hadn't experienced in a long time.

All that being said, he was ready and knew she was too. She had more than made that clear in a way that only Zoe could. So Wade thought about planning something for Friday, and particularly Friday night, that would knock her socks off.

Zoe had spent almost every night that week at Wade's, but on Thursday Wade had asked if she minded if he dropped her at her place. When she gave him a strange look, he explained that he was planning something special for Friday and needed to do a few things that night. So she stayed the night at her place and woke up on Friday morning alone in bed.

Stretching in her bed Zoe looked at the cracks in the ceiling and wondered what Wade was up to. She missed his bed, the smell of him on the pillows and his body beside her. But she was also finding it difficult to wake up next to him and then get out of bed soon after so they could work through the list of things they need to accomplish that day. Or getting into bed beside him at night, feeling completely exhausted from working to get the Rammer Jammer, but still not pouncing on him despite her fatigue. As she looked for patterns in the ceiling cracks she wondered if they had skipped an important part in their relationship, the one where we can't get enough of each other, and moved straight to the faithful and supportive partners' part. She also wondered how they had managed to do that in the course of a week.

Zoe shook her head at her morose and slightly ridiculous train of thought. Truth was they couldn't get enough of each other, but any hot rolling around in his sheets would be cut short by one of them pulling back from the other. They had decided, without really discussing it, that when it happened, it would not be at the end of a long day of work or a quickie before getting out of bed in the morning.

After regaining her grip on reality, she remembered what Wade had said the night before – about planning something special for today. There was nothing left to be done at the Rammer Jammer. That place was spotless, fully stocked and ready for a grand re-opening. As she thought about, a giddiness filled her and she pulled herself from her bed. Something special. She hoped his idea of something special matched what she had in her mind. And that was some quality time out of the Rammer Jammer that ended with a fully satisfying night that happened to find both of them without their clothes.

Zoe made her way to the kitchen and put on some coffee (Always coffee first) before putting up the shades on the windows. With the shades raised she saw how beautiful it was outside. The temperature was rising in Bluebell, just this side of hot, but still nice. Staring out the window, she was brought back from her daydreaming by the sound of her phone ringing.

She picked up and saw it was Wade.

"Good morning." She answered brightly.

She heard his laugh on the other end of the phone before he spoke, "Maybe for you, but I woke up alone and that was _not_ good."

"I hear you, cowboy. I had similar feelings about this morning." She assured him.

After a brief pause to take in her answer, Wade resumed, "So listen, I got to do one last thing this morning, but how's 'bout I pick you up around noon?"

"Sounds good. What are we doing anyway? A girl's got to know how to dress." She was hoping to avoid his _it's a surprise_ answer.

"I thought we'd head out to my grandparents place and take the boat out… and then see where things go from there." Zoe could hear the innuendo in his voice and smiled.

Hard to believe it wasn't that long ago that she would have responded in a huff to that tone in his voice, but now it stirred up decidedly different emotions.

Her pause led him to change his tone and add, "So pack your sunblock. I hear it's gonna be a hot one."

"Here's hoping," she replied with her own bit of innuendo.

"Maybe if you're good." He teased.

"I don't think good was in my plan," she teased back.

He let out a deep breath. "Well alright then. I'll pick you at noon."

"See you then." She said lightly.

She put her phone down and headed back to the kitchen to pour her coffee. Coffee in hand she went back to her bedroom to pack a few things for the day, and the evening if everything went well. Then she settled on her bed and looked into closet thinking about what she would wear for the big night at the Rammer Jammer.

Wade had booked a band from Nashville, by way of somewhere in Alabama. Zoe thought maybe Lavon had pulled a few string to get the slightly more well-known band for Wade's big night. No huge stars, but a big enough name to bring people in. It was not going to be a regular night at the Rammer Jammer but she didn't want to go overboard either. Getting up to take a closer look, she pushed the hangers to one side and then the other, looking over her clothes until she thought she'd found something appropriate.

With that settled, she went and turned on the shower. If the night went as she hoped it would, she wanted to make sure she was cleanly shaven. It was a really girl thing to do, but, hell, she was a girl. It was the first long shower she'd taken in days. The water felt good pounding on her back which was still a little sore from her week of manual labor. The muscles in her shoulders relaxed and she tilted her head back to let the water run down her hair. _I've got plenty of time_, Zoe thought, _and I'm so going to enjoy this._

After her luxuriating shower filled with deep conditioner and body gel, she stepped out and toweled off. She found a casual outfit of shorts and tank top and put her swim suit on underneath it. This was one of things she really did enjoy about Alabama. There was no way she'd be thinking about swimming in late April in New York.

Zoe enjoyed the relaxing morning by herself. As much as she enjoyed waking up with Wade, they had been together pretty non-stop since their first date a week ago. It felt good to have some time alone to take it easy. She painted her toes and read the hot-from-the mailbox copy of Vogue – taking time to fully girl out.

At noon, Wade knocked on her door and she grabbed her bag before she opened it. The sight of him had her slightly rethinking her enjoyment of the time alone. Vogue, Smogue. How he managed to look so good in a white t-shirt and shorts baffled her, but it was undeniable. Wade was thinking the same thing about her in her white tank top, short shorts and a pair of flip flops.

He leaned in to kiss her and she wrapped her arms around his neck to make it count. Before all thoughts of the day he planned vanished, Wade pulled back.

"See, now that's what I was thinkin' about this mornin'," he told her with his crooked smirk firmly planted on his face.

She laughed. Since her arms were still around his neck she kissed him again before sinking back on her heels and pulling away. "Me too." She said.

Wade moved to the side so she could walk out the door and as she did he lightly slapped her butt. "C'mon girl. It's a gorgeous day. 'Enough of your lollygaggin'."

She gave him a look over her shoulder but headed out to his car without a word. Closing the door to her place, Wade chuckled as he followed her out to the car. She actually waited by the door for him to come and open it which surprised him. She might just make a decent Southern girl yet he joked before opening the car door and closing it behind her. When he reached his, Zoe had opened it as had become her habit and leaned against him after he got in.

"It was really nice not having anything to do this morning," she told him.

"Musta been - I wouldn't know," He told her teasingly. "I've been busy gettin' things ready for today."

"No rest for the wicked," she told him.

"Ain't that the truth," He agreed.

The drive out to his grandparents was familiar to her this time and it sunk in how close it was considering how removed it felt from the buzz of Bluebell. He turned onto the tree lined lane towards the house. He parked in the same spot as last time and got out to open her door. She grabbed her bag and he opened the trunk to pull out a cooler.

His head motioned to the house. "Let's drop this inside before headin' on down to the boat."

When she stepped inside she saw that the cloths had been removed from some of the furniture already and it looked a little less dusty. Dropping her bag by the stairs, Zoe followed him into the kitchen and he put the cooler in the fridge after removing a couple of bottles of lemonade and sandwiches. The electricity might not be on, but the fridge was sealed and it couldn't hurt. There were other bags on the counter and he put their lunch into one of them.

Picking up the bag, he extended his arm out. "Alright, let's get on the water and take it easy."

Wade showed her the path leading down to the river and after putting the bag into it, he pulled the boat onto the water.

"Get on in, Doc."

Zoe looked him in the eyes before pulling her tank top off and shimmying out of her shorts revealing her two-piece swimsuit. Then she shucked off her flip flops. She enjoyed watching his perma-smirk evaporate and his mouth fall open. She got in the boat and watched him standing there.

"Quit your gapin'." She did her best impression of him.

Wade shook his head and pulled his shirt off. "Oh you're a wicked woman, Zoe Hart." He told her as he pushed the boat a little further out and climbed in.

They faced each other and Zoe watched him as he paddled them out.

"You want me to take a paddle. You don't need to do all the work," she told him.

Wade shook his head, "Nah, I like it this way with you facin' me so I can check you out."

She pursed her lips slightly and raised her eyebrow. "Okay, but don't say I didn't offer."

"I wouldn't dare."

Wade paddled till they were in the middle of the river and then pulled the oars into the boat. She pulled their lunch out of the bag and handed his to him. Unwrapping her own, she saw he'd made chicken salad again.

"You make a mean chicken salad, Wade Kinsella," she told him as she chowed down.

"You seemed to like it last time and I wasn't feelin' too creative." He replied.

"Fine by me," she said as she swallowed the last bite. She opened her lemonade and drank some of that down.

"Girl, where'd you get your manners? I've never seen someone eat that fast."

She wiped her mouth with her hand and laughed a little embarrassed. "Take it as a compliment."

He took a bit more time eating and then started to paddle again. He showed her different spots along the river. Some were places that were just pretty; others were tied to a memory of his.

"This place really is gorgeous." Zoe said as he rowed back toward the house. "You really should move back here, it's a shame to have it sitting here empty."

Wade nodded thoughtfully, taking in the surroundings. "Yeah, maybe. We'll see."

They made their way back to the shore in a comfortable silence. Wade thought about how he liked that about Zoe. She could talk like a magpie, but she was also at ease with the quiet.

Zoe thought how relaxing it was. Her life had not had much relaxing time to it since she was a kid, during those summers with her grandparents. The past few years especially had been go, go, go. The thought of returning to that and leaving Bluebell was becoming less appealing. She had a little longer before she had to contend with a decision on what came next. So in the peace of the moment she decided she wasn't going to obsess over it just yet.

When they got closer to the shore, Zoe jumped out of the boat into the water, surprising the hell out of Wade. He watched as she swam out and then treaded water. She let out a wicked laugh.

"Thanks for the help." He called out sarcastically as he pulled the boat on to the shore by himself.

She kept laughing until he got a devilish look on his face and jumped in after her. She saw the way he was approaching her and started to swim away from him, but it was no use. He had his arm around her and was pulling her behind him in no time.

Zoe laughed and tried to wiggle out from his arm, but his grip was too strong.

"Not gonna happen." He told her, "I got ya' now"

He swam back pulling her with him – Zoe splashing as tried to get away – both of them laughing. When he finally could touch bottom, he put his feet down and pulled her up tight against him. She was still facing away from him and he used his free hand to pull her wet hair back over one of her shoulders. With it out of the way he could move his mouth freely over the skin of neck and shoulders. Zoe shivered from it and tried to turn so she could kiss him, but he wouldn't let her budge. His arm was firmly around her and his thumb traced along her side, underneath her swim top.

"Uh-ah," he told her as she tried to move. His mouth was only inches away from her skin and she felt his breath on her neck as he spoke. "I told ya'. I got you now."

She finally gave in arching her neck back against his chest and one arm reached behind her so she could get her hand in his hair. Her other arm slid over the one he had around he and she grasped his hand. His mouth continued to move down her neck and along her shoulder, softly at first and then with greater attention. Her breath deepened and slowly Wade eased his grip on her so she could turn. Zoe grabbed his shoulders and her mouth was on his. She wrapped her legs around his waist and his hands cradled her hips. Her mouth moved over his and she moved her arms around his neck.

When they finally came up for air they were both breathing heavy. She looked at him expectantly and he nodded.

"Tonight," he managed between breaths.

They kissed again less urgently and he slowly released the hold on her hips so her legs could slide down. Her hands moved down his shoulders to his forearms. Sinking from her tip toes onto her heals, she released the kiss and rested her head against his chest.

He lowered his head on top of hers and thought - _Now I get what all the fuss is about. All them guys havin' themselves wrapped around ta girl's pinky. _He was a little surprised how little he minded joining the ranks.

Not having towels they decided to lie on the grass at the top of the hill to dry. They faced each other and shared stories. Zoe told him about her Dad leaving when she was ten and growing up essentially unsupervised. As she spoke, he began to see how similar they were. They had both been kids left to figure it out on their own and shared a fondness for a set of grandparents that had been their only real experience with what family was. The only difference was she'd chosen a path of high expectations and he had gone the other route. Well, that and the fact he had his sister and Zoe had been alone – God that must have sucked. Still, the similarities were uncanny. Maybe that's why she seemed to get him and didn't fall for his b.s. - and vice-versa.

Once they'd dried off, they dressed and walked around the grounds. Holding her hand, Wade continued pointing things out to her – more memories or thing he thought were interesting. Zoe was a little surprised by how at home she felt at this place. While she could argue it was how it reminded her of Nana and Grandpa's house; that was only part of it. The place had a magic to it that was undeniable. It was picturesque and stately in a cozy way, but more than that it was a home. A place to put down roots, to entwine with the ones that were already here. Never one to get too far ahead of herself where relationships were concerned Zoe didn't allow herself to drift down a road of imagining a future for herself here with Wade. That sort of thing made her too uncomfortable, another set up for potential disappointment. No, she just liked how it felt it to be here, now, and that was as far as she let it go.

Before long the day started to fade with the sun beginning its decent. The air was starting to cool. Zoe looked over at Wade, "Let's head up to the house."

"Good idea." He replied as he put his arm around her.

Once inside Wade built a fire in the large, front room fireplace before heading to the kitchen to get their dinner. He came back with candles, a bottle of wine, two glasses and a bag. Zoe was sitting on the couch watching him.

"C'mon over here, Doc. I got us regular gourmet meal here." Wade said beckoning her with his hand. He lit a few a candles.

She walked over to find him pulling out some hot dogs and some other containers. Next he took out skewers. He pierced a hot dog with one and handed it to Zoe. He pointed to the fire.

"And there's the grill." He told here.

She laughed. "You do spoil a girl."

They toasted their hot dogs and ate their make shift picnic in the middle of his grandmother's parlor. He looked around the room, popping in a piece of cornbread. He finished chewing and shook his head.

"Man, if Grandma saw this she would be chasin' us out of here with that poker." He told her pointing to the fireplace poker.

"I bet. This room isn't exactly furnished for an inside cook-out."

"No it sure ain't."

Zoe dug into the potato salad. It was delicious, but so were the cornbread and cole slaw.

"Where did you learn to cook?" she asked.

"My grandma mostly and then after she died I mostly taught myself. Wasn't like Earl was makin' us big family dinners. Besides Anna Lee needed to eat too and I was the big brother." He explained.

Zoe nodded. "My Mom never cooked – big surprise. But we had a live-in who made my meals."

"So that explains why you can't cook." He joked.

Zoe began to look offended, then softened. Shrugging she agreed, "You're probably right. I was never too interested in the food preparation; I was more focused on the consumption."

Zoe then shifted topics. She had heard Wade talk about his sister before and other people in town mention her too. "Are you and your sister still close?'

Wade let out a laugh thinking about his baby sister. She was only a year younger than him, but he still thought of her as the baby. His eyes narrowed a bit and a warm smile filled his face before he started telling Zoe about her.

"Aw yeah, Annie is probably my best friend - she's somethin' else. It's not so much that trouble finds her, but more she enjoys seekin' it out. But, man is she fun. She makes me look like a boring ole housecat. And she's just good peeps. Outside of the hell raisin', she's got a lot of Momma in her. People can't help but love her, just like Momma. Annie looks a lot like her, too." Wade looked at Zoe before he finished talking about his sister, "I think you two will get along real good."

"So you think she'll approve." Zoe said and Wade nodded.

Then it hit her, she hadn't thought to ask – though she wasn't sure why. "Is she coming tomorrow?"

Wade chuckled a little under her breath, "Aww yeah she's gonna be there alright, but I'm not allowed to tell anyone in Bluebell. Although I gotta imagine some folks figured it out."

Zoe looked curious so Wade spilled.

"She's in the band, but that's not advertised per her request. She's goin' by her stage name these days so she thinks folks won't know. 'Course her stage name is Anna Lee – all she did was drop Kinsella." Wade said shaking his head again, chuckling.

His sister was probably the only other girl who had him wrapped around his finger.

Zoe liked listening to him talk about his sister. Thinking of meeting her had Zoe a mix of excited and nervous. It was not just that his sister was important to Wade, but she sounded like a handful. But he knew his sister and if Wade said she'd like Zoe she would have to trust him.

Finished with dinner, Wade was ready to move on to what he'd planned next. He packed up what was left from dinner and brought it back into the kitchen. Zoe picked up the pillows they'd used as seats and put them back on the couch. Then she followed him into the kitchen.

Wade was standing at the counter packing things into the cooler with only a candle for light. Zoe walked up behind him and hugged him close. She pressed her face to his back and breathed him in. He looked at her over his shoulder and smiled before returning to the work in front of him. After closing the cooler he turned and put his arms around her.

Zoe looked up at him smiling, "Today has been…" her eyes looked upwards as she tried to think of the right word. "…perfect."

Wade looked down at her, "Glad you think so, but it ain't over yet."

He lifted her chin and gave her a quick kiss before he started to move, but she grabbed his hand.

"I got the next part." She told him. "Stay here and wait for me to call you."

He cocked his head to the side, wondering what she was up to. "You know where you're going?" he called to her as she grabbed some candles and her bag at the bottom of the stairs.

She looked back at him before heading up the stairs, "I think I'll figure it out."

It felt like she'd been up there forever. Wade paced around downstairs; putting out candles and watching what left of the fire. The anticipation was boiling over, wondering what she was doing upstairs only made it worse. He held the flashlight in his hand, ready for her call.

Finally, he heard her.

"Wade, you can come up."

He tried not to take the stairs two at a time and keep his cool. He saw the flickering battery candles leading towards one of the bedrooms. He followed the path they made and began to hear the low music coming from the room. When he came into the bedroom, the small soft lights were everywhere, mixed with candles she took from downstairs. The effect created a sensual, low light.

He saw Zoe lying on the bed, leaning slightly to her side with her head propped up on by her hand. Her hair was falling in waves around her shoulders. She wore a midnight blue silk slip of a nighty that fell to her mid-thigh. The fabric curved over her hip. The neckline dipped just enough to tease. The sight of her stopped him cold and the craving for her pumped through each of his cells.

Gone were all the repressed emotions of holding back and waiting. He put the flashlight down and walked toward the bed. He lifted one knee on the mattress but stood beside it for a moment taking her in again. Slowly he moved his hand along her hip, feeling the silk of the fabric as he traced his fingers down to her thigh. He lifted himself into the bed as he did this and she watched how his eyes followed the movement of his fingers. It was possibly the sexiest display of foreplay she'd ever experienced. Moving closer to her Wade reached for her face and his mouth met hers with an urgency that had Zoe catching her breath. Her fingers laced in his hair, pulling him closer to her. They broke their kiss suddenly and she pulled his shirt over his head. The intensity of her eyes as did stirred him in a way he had not imagined. With his shirt gone she ran the whole of her hands over skin of his chest, and then looked up at him. His eyes were burning into hers.

"I want you, Zoe. I want you now." His tongue rolled over his top lip.

Zoe's eyes stayed locked on his and she leaned back on to the bed. Wade was not waiting for any other answer. He took her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers. Her tongue slid over his bottom lip and he opened his mouth to her. His hand slid to the back of her head and down her neck. He pulled her hair back and slowly moved his mouth down her neck. When he reached her shoulders, he slid the narrow strap of her nightgown down her arm. He rolled her on top of him and moved his hands down her sides to her hips. Her breath became ragged every time their mouths broke apart. Finally, she whispered urgently. "Now, Wade. Now."

The sheets tangled around them. Her nightgown was in a ball at the end of the bed and his clothes had found themselves on the floor. Wade was lying on his back with Zoe pressed against him. Her head was on his pillow looking towards him. Their breathing had finally begun to slow. Wade slowly ran his fingers through her hair and down the skin of her back to where it met the sheet bunched around her hips. He closed his eyes and took in the way she felt against him. She nuzzled into his neck.

"Mind. Blowing," Zoe said each word with separate and equal emphasis.

"Mmmm…." Wade almost hummed. "I agree," he managed to put the words together somehow though his brain was not thinking much about stringing words together.

Repeating the up and down path of his hands trailing her back, his eyes remained closed, focused on the feel of her skin. He was already thinking of going another round when he heard her voice.

"That was worth the wait," she said quietly in his ear.

Wade smiled at the words. "Yeah, it was," he agreed as began to roll her underneath him. She saw the sexy smirk.

"Too good to even think 'bout waitin' to do it again." He growled before he moved his mouth over hers and his hands down her sides.

An hour or so later, Wade was balancing himself on his lower arms and looking down at Zoe. Her chest was rising and falling, her breathing heavy. He was dazed; taking in the way her hair spread over the pillow, her eyes closed, the movement of her chest. He could not stop the compulsion pushing the words out of his mouth.

"Damn, Zoe ... That was amazin'."

Zoe opened her eyes and looked at him, "Which time?" she asked, breathless and beaming.

"You tell me." He said as he brushed his lips over her ear.

The sensation of his breath and lips on her ear made Zoe forget the question. "I'm at a loss for words," she managed.

He rolled off of her and they each turned on their sides to face each other.

"So remind me why we waited so long?" Zoe asked him with warm, happy eyes.

"Well, recently I think it's becuz we were tryin' to make it count … and it did." He leered at her and then finished his thought, "Before that I think it was just sheer stupidity on both our parts."

A light laugh escaped her and Wade brought his arms around her, "Hey, Zoe?"

"Yes, Wade."

"Will you be my date tomorrow night at the Rammer Jammer?"

"I thought you'd never ask." She rolled over and snuggled her back against his chest. "Wade?"

"Yeah," his voice was sounding sleepy.

"Tonight _was_ amazing." She repeated his words.

"That's cuz you are." He whispered in her ear.

Zoe pushed herself deeper into his chest and he tightened his arms around her. Taking his hand to her mouth to kiss it, Zoe whispered. "Good night, Wade."

"'Night, Zoe."

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><p><strong>Sooo...Let me know what you think. I wanted it to be tasteful and true to the T rating. Hope you enjoyed it!<strong>

**Stay Tuned: Wade's sister arrives in the next chapter or two (depending on how long Zoe and Wade dawdle before the big re-opening). She is a handful - I think she kind of looks like Emma Stone personally ;-) She also has some history with a particularly well regarded member of the community...**


	11. Chapter 11 What About Miss Anna Lee

**In this chapter, we get to enjoy a little of the morning after, quality time with the Mayor and meet the sister. It's a shortish chapter, but it sets up the firewords that come with the re-opening of the Rammer Jammer. **

**I also wanted to take a moment to thank folks for the wonderful reviews for the last chapter. It was nice to hear folks thought it was done well. As always, share your thoughts on this chapter too. Always appreciated.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hart of Dixie.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 11 - What About Miss Anna Lee:<strong>

Sun streamed through the large, old windows in the bedroom and the breeze caused the drapes to sway. Zoe woke to find Wade was still spooned against her. All she could think was how good his skin felt against hers. Well, that and the looping reel of the night before. The replay in her head and the feel of him so close to her demanded more of what filled the previous night. Rolling over, her hand moved down his back while her mouth slowly met his. Her limited attention stirred him from sleep and his hands began moving down her back pulling her towards him. His mouth opened to hers and he initiated a kiss with some real heat behind it. Before long he had her beneath him, ready to start the morning off right.

Afterwards they were tangled up in each other as they had been the night before. Wade held a satisfied look on his face with Zoe's head on his chest. Weaving his fingers through hers, he was pretty sure if the day continued on this way it would be just fine by him.

"Now that's what I'd call the proper way to wake up in the morning," he told her.

He felt her body release a small laugh, "That's for sure, mister."

Zoe was thinking how different the room looked in the morning light, filled with antique furniture and old pictures. This must have been his grandparents' room, she thought, although she didn't want to think too much about the previous inhabitants given the events of last night and this morning.

Today was the big day and it was off to a pretty stellar start. Wade wished they did not have to get moving so soon, but there was much to be done and he told Shelly and the kitchen staff he'd meet them at the Rammer Jammer around noon. They planned on only serving dinner tonight, resuming normal business hours the following day. It gave him a little more time here with Zoe, but not as much as he would have liked.

Sensing he was thinking about the day ahead, Zoe tilted her head towards his face. "So what's on the schedule for today?"

"I told Shelly and the rest of the crew I'd meet 'em at noon to get ready to open."

She nodded. "What do you need me to do?"

He pulled her on top of him so her chin rested on his chest as she looked at him. "All I need you to do is show up when we open, lookin' smokin' and be my date for the evenin'. I got the rest."

She narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure?'

"Absolutely. You've done plenty already. 'Sides you do much more and I gotta start payin' ya."

With that Zoe nodded before resting her head back down against his chest. "You're the boss. Just let me know when I need to move."

Wade chuckled. "I like that sound of that."

They laid in bed for another hour before they gathered up their things and re-covered the furniture. On the short ride back, Wade made a point of telling her how special the night before had been. He couldn't recall telling anyone that before, but for some reason it was important to him that she understood. Zoe took his non-driving hand and squeezed it - a very Zoe way of showing her agreement without saying anything. Mushy was not really her thing. In a fleeting thought he wondered if he was the girl in this relationship, before he remembered two things. First was his reputation for not being a relationship kind of guy and second, that while things had been pretty spectacular over the past week he still had done a number on her a couple of months before. With that in mind, Wade knew that a little expression of his feelings was probably in order.

She convinced him to stop at the plantation before dropping her off so they could have breakfast together before he went to work. Lavon was in the kitchen when they walked in and gave them a curious look.

"And what have you two been up to? Nothin' goin' on at the Jammer yesterday and I didn't see hide nor hare of you yesterday."

Seeing Zoe blush, Wade pulled her under his arm and laced her fingers in his hand.

"We were enjoyin' what they call a little quality time before the openin'," Wade informed him knowing with Lavon the best defense was a good offense.

Zoe gently elbowed him, "Wade!"

But the response worked and Lavon simply pursed his lips and nodded before turning back to his eggs.

"You two hungry?" the mayor asked.

Wade's allusion to what he had been doing with Zoe, who was like a sister to him, had the mayor more than happy to move on.

Wade left Zoe with Lavon and headed back to his place to clean up before he was off to the Rammer Jammer. As her closest confidante and friend, the mayor was feeling a little neglected. Besides the ride to Mobile and the times they were both helping out at the Rammer Jammer, they had not spent much time together. Certainly no quality buddy time. Zoe plopped herself on one of the stools with her coffee and settled in for some serious catching-up.

Lavon sat up on the counter. "So things good with you and Wade?"

She nodded. "Yeah, it's a little like going from negative twenty to sixty, but its good. Really good."

"I told you, Wade's a good guy."

"And you were right." Zoe nodded. "Hey, why didn't you tell me Wade made my gumbo?"

Lavon smiled; glad she had found out. "He wouldn't even admit it to me though he knew that I knew he did."

Zoe shook her head and laughed. "So, what's new with you?"

Lavon shrugged. "DeeDee and I broke up last night."

Zoe's eyes widened at the news. "What happened?"

After finding out about Lavon and Lemon, purely by accident, a month ago, Zoe had been routing for things to work out with DeeDee. She may have been a little wacky, but Zoe knew DeeDee really liked Lavon and wanted her friend to be happy.

"I was talkin' to my Momma the other night about my parents' fortieth anniversary next month and we got to talkin' 'bout how they'd made it so long," he explained, "She said that she and my Dad had this spark when they met and how, even now, it's like he knows her better than she knows herself sometimes. She told me it's what she wanted for me, that kind of true love where you want to make it work no matter what."

He paused and looked out the window before he continued, "It got me to thinkin'. Me and DeeDee don't have that. She's nice and I like her, but there's not that kind of spark. I was just tryin' to move on and she deserves more than that. Hell, I deserve more than that."

Zoe listened as he spoke and nodded in the appropriate places. When he was done, she got off her stool and walked over to him, taking in his hand. "You're right, Lavon, you do."

Lavon grimaced and squeezed her hand before letting it go.

"Does this have anything to do with Lemon?" Zoe asked.

He shrugged again, "I dunno. I mean there somethin' there, but she's marryin' George and I gotta accept it."

Zoe went to the fridge pulling out ice cream and then grabbed two spoons. Holding it up she told him, "Well this always helps after a break up."

Lavon's face scrunched up, "I ain't no girl, Zoe. I just need to go out to the Rammer Jammer, drink some bourbon and deal with it like any self respectin' guy."

She shrugged and sat down with the ice cream, putting the second spoon down. "Just trying to help."

Lavon grumbled before picking up the other spoon and digging in to the ice cream.

After supporting Lavon through some important post-break up moping, Zoe got him to give her a ride back to her place so she could get ready for the night. They agreed he would come by around four o'clock so they could go together and have dinner before the festivities really kicked off. She promised not to reveal anything about him eating ice cream, like a girl as he put it, to anyone and agreed to drink bourbon with him later.

Wade arrived at the Rammer Jammer just before noon. Shelly arrived not long after and sat at the bar rolling silverware into napkins. The kitchen crew strolled in right on time and started getting things prepped for dinner. The rest of the wait staff and the new relief bartender he'd hired would be in around three.

With the kitchen on track, Wade came out to help Shelly with the silverware. Shelly had helped out some during the week, but still had not had an opportunity to find out what had happened with him and Zoe. It was clear from Zoe's constant presence there after a prolonged absence that something was going on and Shelly wanted to know. Once he sat down, it didn't take long for her to pounce.

"So what happened?" she asked.

"With what?" he asked knowing full well what she was talking about.

Shelly rolled her eyes and put down her fork and knife waiting for him to stop insulting her intelligence.

Wade let out a deep breath, "Let's just say I made a grand gesture."

Shelly clapped her hands together excitedly which only made him more uncomfortable. Lavon may have been at ease sharing all his feelings with Zoe, but Wade didn't do girl talk.

"I knew it." Shelly exclaimed. "You two have real spark."

Then she leaned in towards him and said in a lower voice, "And I have never seen you act the way you do around her."

Wade narrowed his eyes, not hiding his annoyance, before gently pushing her out of his personal space. Shelly just laughed before resuming her work.

"So you two are together?" She asked.

"Yeah, we're together." He nodded. Any annoyance disappeared from his face.

It was then that the door opened and a whirlwind of strawberry blond hair blew in followed by a group of men with their hands full. Shelly jumped at the sudden hullabaloo, but Wade just slapped his knee and started laughing. The cause of the commotion blurred over to him and threw her arms around him.

"My brother, the proprietor!" she gushed before straightening the collar of his fine white button down, "My, you look almost respectable."

He stood and spun her around. "Well, what about Miss Anna Lee?"

He set her down and she struck a pose dramatically, "The entertainment has arrived," she announced.

"You can say that again." Wade replied sardonically.

Annie did not seem to hear him, but moved on to more pressing subjects, "We're starvin', drove straight through. You got anything to eat around here?"

Wade looked to Shelly as he walked over to the guys with the equipment.

"C'mon, we'll get somethin' for y'all while the boys do the heavy liftin'," Shelly said getting off the stool.

"How ya' doin', Shelly?" Annie asked looping her arm in the waitress', "What can you tell me 'bout this New York doctor my brother's all googly eyed over?"

Wade closed his eyes and shook his head; he wanted nothing to do with that conversation. Making a quick escape, he headed out to the van with the rest of the band.

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><p><strong>So she has arrived and is about to stir about some trouble, even if unintentionally. Stay tuned...<strong>

**Oh, and please share your thoughts. I love hearing them.**


	12. Chapter 12 The Weight

**New Chapter! Sorry I didn't update sooner, things have been hectic. In an effort to make amends, this is a fairly long chapter. ****It's the big reopening and Annie causes quite a stir. **

**Thanks, again, for all the wonderful reviews. I hope they continue - they inspire me to keep going.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hart of Dixie, just trying to keep busy during the hiatus.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 12 - The Weight<strong>

After Lavon picked her up at four, they headed over to the Rammer Jammer. When they walked in they were both struck with how good the place looked. It was not an overhaul, but it looked less dingy – possibly a tad more hip. Shelly greeted them. She showed them to a table and gave them menus. Though she had already seen them, Zoe admired the job Shelly had done designing them and Shelly beamed from the compliment.

"I'll let Wade know you're here," Shelly said winking at Zoe. "Y'know I think all the buzz about you two is gonna be good for business."

"I'm happy to take one for the cause." Zoe replied dryly.

Lavon picked up his menu so he could hide his amused look albeit unsuccessfully. Zoe rolled her eyes at him.

"So this is what I have to look forward to all night?" Zoe asked him.

"Hey, it's Bluebell and you two are the gossip du jour."

Zoe did her best fake smile. "Great."

Wade came around the corner then with his arm around a pretty girl with strawberry blonde hair and blue almond shaped eyes. She reminded Zoe of an actress she recently seen in a movie, only a few years older. A small, sudden wave of jealousy hit her before Lavon turned around and called out, "Aw there she is! If it ain't Miss Annie!"

Zoe relaxed upon hearing it was Wade's sister, then she re-registered the information and a small bout of nausea hit her stomach. She thought she had a little more time before arriving at the point in the evening where she would meet his sister. That plan was clearly out the window since the woman had let go of Wade, hurrying over towards them and jumping into Lavon's outstretched arms.

"Hey Lavon! How you been?"

Lavon gave her a bear hug before putting her on her feet. "I'm better seein' you girl. How you been?'

"Great, touring the past few months, but we had be here for my big brother's big night."

Annie looked at Wade who had just made his way to the table. He came up behind Zoe's chair, and stooped behind her with his arms coming around her shoulders. Wade leaned in and whispered in Zoe's ear, "Well you succeeded on the 'look smokin' part of your assignment."

Zoe turned her face towards his and smiled, "Glad you think so."

Before he could respond, they were interrupted by his sister.

"You must be Dr. Zoe Hart." Annie said with an 'at last' tone to her voice.

Zoe felt the nerves in her stomach again, but they were interrupted by Annie pulling her away from Wade and into a hug.

"It's so good to finally meet you." Annie smiled as she released Zoe, "Wade has been goin' on and on about you for months –'Zoe this and Zoe that'." Annie paused and winked at Wade, satisfied with the embarrassment she was causing him. Her eyes moved back to Zoe and introduced herself. "I'm Annie, Wade's sister."

Wade looked like he wanted to disappear into the woodwork, but instead moved to insinuate himself between his sister and Zoe.

Zoe smiled and held out her hand. "It's great to meet you. I've heard a lot about you too."

Annie ignored the hand and gave her another quick hug. Zoe could see what Wade meant about his sister. It was hard not to love her. She was charming and a bit of a smart ass, all good qualities as far as Zoe was concerned.

Annie sat in the remaining chair at the table and looked at Zoe. "Have a seat, Zoe. I want to hear all about the girl that has my brother so, what the word I'm lookin' for…," Annie narrowed her right eye and rubbed her jaw in way Wade would, "…Ah, enamored. Yeah, that's it – _enamored_."

That was sufficient for Wade and he grabbed Zoe's hand. "Alright, that's about enough from you." Wade gave her look of loving annoyance. "We'll be right back. Annie, why don't you keep Lavon here company and yourself out of trouble?"

"Whatever you say, Wade." Annie replied in a sing-song voice, batting her eyelashes.

Wade rolled his eyes as he put his arm around Zoe and guided her away from the table.

"So you've been going on and on about me for months?" Zoe teased.

"Did I mention my sister has a flare for the dramatics and a tendency to exaggerate?" he said wryly

"I didn't pick up on that from her." She joked.

He pulled her out the back door and into a toe tingling kiss. As he eased her back onto her feet, he told her, "I've been thinking about that all afternoon."

"Have you now?" she barely managed, still trying to catch her breath.

"Aw yeah," he said gliding his tongue over his top lip, the cocky smirk in full effect. "So besides the fact that she's a royal pain in the butt, what do you think of my sister?

"She seems great. I want to get to know her better" Zoe answered.

The smirk slipped from his face, "Yeah, that'll be great. I can have coordinated, North meets South sass."

Zoe laughed lightly and grabbed both his hands. "So how's everything going here so far? It looks great."

Wade brushed his hand through his hair, his other nervous tick. "So far, so good. People are startin' to trickle in; the kitchen and the bar are runnin' pretty smooth. I'm feelin' pretty unnecessary at the moment."

He still looked nervous and she knew they should head back in. He wouldn't want to be gone long. Zoe put her arm around his waist and leaned into him. "Should we head back in now that you've officially welcomed me?"

Wade smiled down and nodded, "Probably should. Promise me you won't let my sister give you the third degree or embarrass me too bad in my absence"

She nodded and kept her arm around his waist as he walked her back to the table. The Bluebell residents seated at the tables they passed began whispering to each other, but Zoe and Wade did their best to ignore it. When they were back at the table, Wade reluctantly excused himself and left Zoe with Annie. Wade felt only mildly comforted with the idea that Lavon was there too.

When Zoe returned, Annie was telling Lavon about life in Nashville, though it did not sound like she had been there much recently with the significant amount of touring. Contrary to Wade's concern, she did not give Zoe the third degree or say anything too embarrassing about him. She found it of little entertainment if he was not there to hear her. Instead, Wade's sister demonstrated a remarkable ability to put Zoe at ease. They settled into casual get-to-know-you conversation.

Zoe learned that Wade's sister had left Bluebell not long after high school and moved to Nashville – only hinting at their upbringing as a reason for leaving. Zoe wondered if the reason for dropping Kinsella from her name had anything to do with Earl, Annie didn't say. She told Zoe how she had been in and out of a lot of groups, trying to make a music career. It sounded as though Annie kept her career going the first few years by playing bars and smaller venues with a rotating group of musicians. Her biggest success came from her current band which had landed a decent string of gigs as the opening act for bigger names.

"So, how's Bluebell treatin' you, Zoe?" Annie asked. "Lord knows it ain't an easy place to break into, not too big on rollin' out the welcome wagon."

Zoe smiled. Annie was direct, which she liked. "It was a little rocky at first," Zoe acknowledged before Lavon broke in patting Zoe's shoulder.

"But Zoe, here, has grown in regard. She's even won over the Belles." The mayor boasted on behalf of his friend.

Annie looked impressed. "And how the hell did you do that? I'm from here and never gained access to that wacky cliquey group of girls."

Zoe was intrigued by this tid-bit, but Lavon's chuckle broke off her question. "Well, now you never exactly went' out of your way to ingratiate yourself there."

Annie smirked and was about to respond when one of her band mates came over to get her. Before she excused herself she touched Zoe's shoulder. "I'll catch up with you later. I'm glad to meet you; 'haven't seen Wade this happy in a long time."

Before she could enjoy basking in the glow of her successful introduction to Wade's sister, she was interrupted by Lavon's obvious throat clearing as his head motioned behind her.

"Well, this'll be interestin'." He mumbled.

Zoe turned slightly to see George and Lemon had just arrived and George had almost collided with Annie. Zoe couldn't help but notice that George's face significantly brightened upon seeing Wade's sister and apparently neither could Lemon, who looked like her mouth was full of the bitter fruit for which she was named. Annie had given George a big hug, but only politely nodded in Lemon's direction before heading off with her band mate. Lavon and Zoe exchanged looks.

"That's a long story best told over bourbon." Lavon told her.

Zoe's arm shot up to get Shelly's attention. "Then let's get some bourbon." Zoe said. "I'm all about gossip that doesn't involve me."

Shelly brought over the bourbon and Zoe raised her glass to toast. "Here's to male break-up tradition and gossip about other people."

As soon as the word's left her mouth, Lavon's widened a bit. Zoe turned to see George and Lemon behind her. "Now what gossip are you two sharin' and who had a break up?" Lemon asked, clearly wanting to be in the know.

Lavon looked at Zoe who looked back at him. The mayor stammered a bit, "Uh, I was just tellin' Zoe here that Deedee and I broke up…"

Zoe felt badly for the mayor, who had just sacrificed himself by acknowledging the recent break-up to Lemon. She jumped in, "Yeah, and I was making a really bad joke about that becoming the new gossip rather than people talking about Wade and me." She placed her hand on Lavon's. "I'm sorry, Lavon."

Then seemingly oblivious, George managed to change the topic to an apparently even more uncomfortable one. "I didn't know Annie was coming. That was a surprise."

Lemon plastered a plastic smile on her face, "Yes, wasn't it?"

Zoe looked at Lavon who had become fascinated with his napkin. She was not sure why Lemon disliked Annie so much but was beginning to think it had something to do with George's excited reaction to seeing Wade's sister. The uncomfortable silence was broken up by Wade arriving with their dinners. He picked up on the awkward vibe and looked at Zoe who gave him a slightly insane looking smile.

"Wade!" she exclaimed, "Aren't we lucky Lavon? Getting our meals delivered by the owner, himself. How are things going?"

"Uh, yeah, now that's some service." Lavon jumped in then, "Thing going good so far? Looks good, nice sized crowd and all."

Wade looked at them like they were mildly deranged, but answered. "You're welcome. And yeah, things are goin' alright so far."

Figuring it was better not to ask what the hell was wrong with the two of them he turned towards George and Lemon.

"George, Lemon," Wade greeted them, "Y'all need a table?"

Lemon nodded and tried to keep up her fake façade that she was not anything but thrilled to be there. Wade did his best to ignore it; grabbing a few menus before showing them to a table.

"Well, we'll catch up with you later." Lemon said in an effort to leave things less awkward. She had slid her arm through George's, who still looked a little dazed, and followed Wade.

Lavon and Zoe looked at each other and before Zoe could open her mouth, Lavon put his hand up. "Have Wade explain it to you later."

Figuring Lavon had enough embarrassment for the evening, she didn't ask anything more. Instead she looked over at her friend, "Need some more bourbon?"

Lavon nodded slightly and Zoe waved to Shelly.

The re-opening was going well. The tables remained full for dinner until the kitchen closed. Rose and her parents had been in and Brick brought Magnolia for dinner with Lemon and George. Zoe had seen many of the familiar faces of Bluebell. She wondered if anyone bothered to stay home and make their own dinner. The only person she knew that was not there was AnnaBeth who had her cousin's wedding in Biloxi that day. As the family dinner crowd began to thin, more people started to arrive to hear the band. Zoe saw a number of un-familiar faces coming in and was pleased. Apparently the band had a bigger following than she knew. It was turning out to be a successful night for Wade.

Shelly took over for Wade at the bar and helped the new bartender so Wade could take a break and enjoy the band with Zoe. He found Zoe with Lavon towards the back of room. Annie and the band had just taken to the small Rammer Jammer stage. Wade came up behind Zoe and slipped his arms around her waist. She leaned against him.

"Good evenin' Bluebell!" Annie called out enthusiastically, "How y'all doin' tonight?"

The crowd answered with equal enthusiasm.

"It's good to be back here for this auspicious occasion – the grand re-opening of the Rammer Jammer. Did y'all know my big brother is the proud, new owner of this fine establishment?"

She was a natural on stage. She had the crowd whipped up, the locals looking back at Wade cheering. A wry smile slipped from Wade's lips before he called back to her, "You gonna sing or just run your mouth?"

The crowd laughed and so did Annie. "Oh yeah, I'm gonna sing. As a matter of fact, I wanna do this first song with my original singin' partner." Her face let loose a wicked grin.

"Aw hell," Wade mumbled and Zoe looked back at him confused.

Annie looked out at the crowd, "How 'bout we get my big brother up here? What do y'all say? Can you give a good ole holler for Wade Kinsella?"

The crowd let out a roar and a few began chanting Wade's name until he let go of Zoe and began heading to the stage. The regulars in the crowd began slapping Wade on the back and pushing him along until he was standing next to his sister. One of her band mates handed him a guitar. Wade slung the guitar strap over his head and looked over at his sister.

"Alright now that ya' got me up here, what are we doin'?" he said in the microphone.

Annie looked back at Wade then called out to the crowd. "Y'all ready for a little number called 'The Weight'?"

The room erupted and Zoe looked around at them. She noticed George standing next to her. He leaned in to explain.

"They used to do this song when we were kids. Their Mom used to sing it to her because her name was in the song. When Wade took up guitar, Annie made him learn how to play it and sing it with her. She always insisted they were sayin' 'Take a load off, ANNIE' in the chorus too." George emphasized the name.

Zoe nodded and appreciated the explanation. Lavon was clapping and cheering as were most of the folks she knew from Bluebell. They all seemed to know the significance. Zoe deduced it was not the first time they had done this in public.

Wade began playing the guitar intro and the drummer kicked in soon after. Annie winked at him and then leaned into his microphone, "This is for you Momma."

A small smile crept on his face, Wade started to sing. Annie stood to his side, clapping along to the drum beat. When he got to the chorus she leaned in to his microphone and harmonized with him. Wade's head moved to the music and he had an easy smile on his face. The crowd was hollering out. As they finished the chorus, Wade stood back, playing the guitar while she sang the next verse. He joined her again on the chorus. The crowd was clearly into it. Wade began the next verse, looking at his sister as he sang,

"_Go down, Miss Moses, there's nothin' you can say  
>It's just ol' Luke, and Luke's waitin' on the Judgment Day.<br>Well, Luke, my friend, what about young Anna Lee?  
>He said, Do me a favor, son, woncha stay an' keep Anna Lee company?"<em>

The crowd let out some wild whooping and hollering once Wade sang her name. Zoe found she couldn't help but join in, it was infectious. They looked and sounded amazing up there together. When Wade finished the verse, his sister put her arm around his neck and shared his mic to do the chorus,

"_Take a load of Annie_

_Take a load for free…"_

The crowd had begun to join in then, making the proper adjustment to the verse. The two of them harmonized the rest of the way through with the crowd singing along when they hit each chorus. By the time they finished, they had literally brought the house down. Annie had wrapped her brother into a bear hug and he was laughing.

Annie pulled away and took the microphone, "Hey y'all, let's hear it one more time for Wade Kinsella!" She shouted and began to clap.

And all of Bluebell heard it, whether they were at the Rammer Jammer or not.

Wade handed the guitar to Annie and began to make his way back to Zoe. It took some time for him to get through the crowd as people slapped him on the back again and shook his hand congratulating him. Zoe took it all in and enjoyed seeing him so happy. Watching him with his sister she saw yet another side of him. There were still more layers to him, she realized, and each one was more interesting.

Annie and the band launched into another song. The sound was a rocking country, not quite honky-tonk, and her voice was bluesy. All Zoe could think was how Annie belonged right where she was, on a stage. Her energy was infectious and it was clear the crowd loved her – not just because she was one their own either. As Zoe mused over Annie, she happened to look over at George, who was still standing beside her. His eyes were locked on Annie singing on stage. While everyone else's in the crowd were also, George's expression was a little different, he was completely captivated. Taking this in, Zoe thought she would not need Wade to fill in too many blanks except what the history was. No one needed to tell her that George had something for Annie. It made Zoe wonder where Lemon was, figuring wherever it was she was not happy.

Zoe's thoughts were soon interrupted by Wade finally reaching her. He scooped her up into his arms for a dance. He was completely relaxed and oozing with his famous charm.

"That was pretty incredible." Zoe said into his ear over the music.

Wade threw his head back and laughed. "Yeah, it was sure somethin'. Gotta love that crazy sister of mine."

"You sure you don't want to join the band and hit the road with them?" Zoe joked.

He laughed and gave her a twirl that ended with a dip and a kiss.

After dancing with Zoe to a few more songs, Wade made his way back towards the bar to check on things. Zoe came along. As they got closer, she saw Lemon sitting on a stool with a drink in front of her. Zoe looked up at Wade who seemed to be thinking the same as she – Lemon was probably not having a good evening and was likely the only person not happy to have Annie back in Bluebell.

Wade let go of Zoe's hand and headed behind the bar to check in with Shelly. Zoe made her way over to Lemon and took the stool next to her.

"Hey Lemon," Zoe greeted her.

She turned towards Zoe and the belle's cloudy eyes told her that Lemon had definitely been drowning her sorrows.

"Hey Zoe," Lemon answered with a slightly slurred voice and the tone of a still somewhat happy drunk. "Looks like it's a real good night for Wade."

Zoe wasn't quite sure how to deal with a drunk Lemon, thankfully Wade came down towards them.

"Hey Lemon, how you doin'?

"Wade!" She gushed as she leaned over and patted his arm. "I'm good, I am REAL good. Your new bartender makes a mean lemon shot. I told him my name and he said 'Girl, I know just the drink for you.'"

Lemon held up her shot glass and slung it back. Zoe and Wade exchanged glances. Lemon took hold of Wade's arm and leaned across the bar towards him.

"Oh Wade, I'm so happy for you." Lemon told him and then she looked at Zoe, patting her hand. "And Zoe, I never thought in a million years I'd ever like you, but you're not so bad for a Yankee."

Zoe and Wade continued to look at each other and then to Lemon and then back to each other. Lemon was oblivious and continued to wax poetic.

"And you two are so cute! You're like two lost pound pups that found each other and now you're both so happy..."

Lemon stopped short with her backhanded compliments when she saw Lavon walking by, "Lavon!"

The mayor looked shocked to hear her call out to him; by his first name no less – in public. Zoe eyes went wide while Wade looked confused. Zoe shot Lavon a look with urgent, wide eyes, motioning her head to the side – as if to say, _get the hell away from here. _But it was too late; Lemon was up off her stool and hurrying over to the mayor. She threw her arms around him for a sloppy drunk hug. Lavon's arms hung by his side and he looked at Zoe, while everyone else around the bar looked at the mayor with Lemon hanging off of him.

Wade pulled Zoe towards him. "What the hell is that about?" he said into ear her over the bar noise.

She looked at him with pleading eyes and stammered, "I... I… I need to avert a crisis."

Zoe knew something, but as she looked him with pleading eyes he backed off asking her more. Zoe jumped off her stool and tried to casually pull Lemon away from Lavon, though it was not easy. "Come on, Lemon. Let's go dance."

Lemon perked up at Zoe's idea and she moved happily through the crowd pulling Zoe behind her. Zoe looked back to Lavon who still stood frozen and Wade who was clearly baffled.

Lemon barged past George and Zoe was convinced the slight shove was intentional. Soon they were in the middle of the crowd and Lemon was dancing along to the music with drunk gusto. After a few songs, George approached them. He had emerged from his Annie gazing fog and was taking Lemon's arm, "C'mon Sweetheart."

When Lemon saw it was he, she pulled her arm back.

"Don't you dare, George Tucker! You just go back to makin' eyes at your old girlfriend and leave me alone."

Zoe looked at George who was clearly embarrassed and backing away in an effort to not further upset Lemon. She then looked up at the stage and saw Annie doing her best to avoid looking anywhere in their general direction. When she finally looked at Lemon, it was clear that happy drunk Lemon was quickly turning into sad, sloppy drunk Lemon. Zoe saw her eyes were starting to well up and knew it was time to act fast before an even bigger scene was made. She put her arm around Lemon casually and started to head towards the door.

Once outside, Lemon burst into tears.

"Why did she need to be here? I know… she's Wade's sister. Of course, she'd come, but why?" Lemon's voice trailed off and her head fell onto Zoe's shoulder.

Zoe gave Lemon a hug and tried to soothe her, to little avail. Wade came out the door then to see what was going on. Thankfully Lemon did not see him. Zoe was afraid the sight of Wade would further upset Lemon since it was his sister was the offending party in Lemon's eyes. She lightly shook her head and he backed up quietly. Zoe did not have the same luck when Lavon came out already talking, "Everythin' alright out here?"

Lemon immediately pulled herself away from Zoe and threw herself into Lavon's arms. "Lavon…" she cried as she wiped her tears on the mayor's shirt. "Oh Lavon, please take me home."

Lavon looked down at Zoe not knowing what to do. She knew, even if only subconsciously, he had come out hoping to find Lemon still there. But it was too late to do anything now. The best thing for Lemon was for her to head home; Zoe knew the proper belle would mortified by her behavior when she woke the next morning. She shrugged her shoulders at her friend and grimaced a bit before putting his arm around Lemon and guided her to his SUV.

Wade came out of the shadow of the doorway then and over to Zoe. "So what was that all about?" His face suggested he had a good idea and that Zoe did too.

Zoe paused. Lavon had sworn her to secrecy, but at least with Wade it seemed the cat was out of the bag. She knew she could not lie to him. She also knew that Wade would never betray Lavon, even to George. Still, it would be better not to discuss it here; she would tell him when they were alone.

Zoe opened her mouth to say just that when George came out the door, but he was too late. Lavon had just pulled out of the parking lot with Lemon in the passenger's seat and George caught the whole scene.

"She left?" he said and then added, "With Lavon?"

Poor George looked confused and unhappy.

Zoe tried to smooth over a pretty dicey situation. "She was drunk, George, and pretty upset. I don't have a car and Wade can't leave, so Lavon offered her a ride home."

George hung his head down and nodded. Wade went over to him and patted his shoulder, "Come on back inside and let me buy you a beer. It might be best to just Lemon sleep this off and make things right tomorrow."

George nodded again and slowly walked back in. Wade looked over at Zoe who mouthed, "Later."

He nodded and held out his hand to her. Taking it in hers, she guided his arm around her neck.

He looked down at her as they prepared to go in, "How did we become the normal couple so quick?"

She shook her head, "Beats me. I've never been the normal anything."

Wade let out a slight laugh, "I hear that, girl."

Smiling as she looked up at him she increased her efforts to lighten the mood. "You and your sister really did sound great."

Wade threw his head back and let out another laugh. He appreciated the effort and kissed the top of her head. Zoe leaned into him and they walked back inside.

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><p><strong>So what do you think of Annie? What do you think the history is with George? Please let me know what you think.<strong>

**Also, don't know if you saw but there is a lot of talk the show may be cancelled. I really would like the show to come back for another season. There is an online petition that hopefully you will sign. I tried to add the link here, but am having technical difficulties getting it to paste properly. You can find it at Twitition**


	13. Chapter 13 Trouble

**A new chapter and more about Annie. She is a loveable troublemaker. Zoe and Wade a little alone time and a bit of a wake up call.**

**As always, share your thoughts. The reviews have been amazing and I look forward to them.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hart of Dixie or its characters. **

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><p><strong>Chapter 13: Trouble<strong>

The rest of the night was relatively drama-free. Annie had pulled Wade up one more time to sing with her and their second number had the crowd as pumped as the first. Though he again was begrudging about coming to the stage, he clearly enjoyed himself once up there. After he finished the duet with Annie, he let loose playing the Allman's Brothers' Little Martha on his guitar. The crowd loved it. Zoe smiled remembering him playing it for her the other night.

He and Zoe were able to share a few more dances and she laughed each time he sent her into a little twirl. He spent a good part of the night behind the bar, a spot he enjoyed. Zoe sat in her familiar seat on the other side of the bar chatting with Dash Dewitt or other folks she knew. George had stayed and sat at the bar drinking a beer. He was pretty subdued, but chatted with folks nonetheless – ever the model citizen. In typical Bluebell fashion no one asked him about Lemon, those conversations would be had later amongst themselves. Lavon walked in a little less than hour after leaving to take Lemon home. It was a little long considering the Breeland's lived only ten minutes away, but not scandalous. Zoe shared a look with her friend, who smiled weakly at her. She planned to get the full scoop tomorrow.

The band had really brought people in and the place was packed until the last set. The crowd thinned out when the band finished. Folks congratulated Wade on their way out, giving a sense the town was pleased to see the town bad boy make good. He was uncomfortable with the compliments as usual, but appreciated their words. It had been a great night.

By closing time only a small group remained. Zoe, Lavon, and George sat at the bar. Wade worked behind it restocking glasses and cleaning up. Shelly and some of the other staff finished getting the main room cleaned up and ready for the next day.

Zoe felt Lavon's discomfort as he sat nursing his bourbon with George two stools away. Not that George in any way seemed bothered by him giving Lemon a ride home. In fact, he had made a point of thanking the mayor – although that seemed to make Lavon feel worse. George spirits lifted considerably when Annie and the band joined them at the bar. But it was clear Bluebell's golden boy was wrestling between regret over what happened with Lemon and the sheer joy he felt being around Annie. Zoe took note of how surreal the scene was and did her best to keep things light. A task made significantly easier by the presence of Wade's sister at the bar.

Annie did not let on whether she was fully aware of what had transpired earlier. Instead she held court and regaled folks with stories and jokes. She told stories of Wade, George and she growing up in Bluebell to Zoe and her band. Then she launched into a series of tales about life on the road with the other band mates proving color commentary of her retellings. Annie wasn't just a fine storyteller but easily brought others in to add further detail and shading to the tales. Her ability to just glide past the elephant in the room and engage everyone in an easy conversation was remarkable.

She led a round of toasts first for her brother, then her band mates and on until she had toasted pretty much everyone present. George soon seemed to forget the unfortunate events earlier and was once again completely taken in by Annie, who did a masterful job of not showing if she noticed. She also did not tip her hand as to any preference she might have for him. She joked with him as she did with the others, no more or less. George was different around her – not quite so earnest and more one of the merry pranksters, laughing and joking with them.

Zoe couldn't tell what, if any, deeper feelings Annie might have for George and found the whole thing intriguing. Wade, likely the only other person in the know, acted like the whole thing was perfectly normal.

With the clean-up and set-up completed, the group festivities wound down. Shelly and the rest of the staff headed home. Lavon had offered up his place for Annie and the rest of the band to crash for the evening. They piled into the Navigator and Annie told Wade she would see him for breakfast as she gave him a hug good night. George waved them off and headed to his car. Wade's hand reached for Zoe's as they walked to his car.

He opened her door and she met him on this side of the car when he climbed in. She looked at him smiling, "Good night?" she asked.

"On the whole I'd say it was - full house for dinner and great crowd for the band. I could have done with the whole Annie/George/Lemon/Lavon drama… What's goin' on with them two?"

She leaned against him and let out a deep breath, "I think the better place to start is what is up with George and your sister?"

Wade nodded. "Alright, but then you gotta tell me."

Zoe agreed. They pulled up to the gate house and plopped themselves on the couch once inside. Zoe curled up on one end of the couch, while Wade launched into the ancient history of George Tucker and Anna Lee Kinsella.

"Y'know George was my best friend when we was kids?" he began. Zoe nodded in reply. "Well, Annie's only a year younger than us and a lot of times she'd hang around with us. We were kinda like the Three Musketeers. George wasn't like other folks in Bluebell. We knew people talked about us, like we were these poor, sad kids - losin' Momma and bein' Earl's kid. The two of us decided the best way to deal with it was to not give a damn. So me and Annie developed the don't-give-a-rat's-ass attitude pretty early. By the time we were in middle school, Annie was already like she is now.

"George, I think, started to fall for her by the time we were in middle school and they sorta dated the way you might in seventh grade. They might have been each other's first kiss." Wade clearly was not enjoying recounting that bit of information. He curled his nose a bit but then continued.

""What happened?" Zoe broke in.

"Well, by high school things started to change. George was the golden boy – captain of the football team, homecoming king. That wasn't really Annie's scene – football games, homecomin' and all that. She'd rather take the bus to Mobile and see a band. She'd find any open mic night she could within 30 miles. She figured out pretty early that she'd be outta Bluebell the minute she graduated and wasn't gonna be some Belle plannin' bake sales.

But George is the guy who _wants_ to settle down, raise a family and go to bake sales. He's been that guy his whole life. He started datin' Lemon, who'd always had a crush on him. And, you know, it never really bothered Annie. Only thing that bugged her was she and George couldn't even be friends, Lemon couldn't handle that."

When Wade finished, Zoe shook her head, "Wow. How does Annie feel about George now, he doesn't seem to be quite over her?" Zoe asked.

Wade shrugged his shoulder. "Dunno, but I know she doesn't think it'd ever work with the two of 'em. And she's not the type to get misty over things… George on the other hand, when he sees her …."

Wade trailed off, not knowing quite how to say it, but Zoe nodded. He didn't need to say anything else. George saw the first girl he ever loved and who still had part of his heart. It didn't mean he didn't love Lemon and want to marry her. Those two things just existed side by side and when they collided it seemed things got a little messy.

"So what is going on with Lavon and Lemon?" He gave her a knowing look. "Is it what I think?"

Zoe let out a deep breath. "Well, if what you think is that Lemon and Lavon were involved while George was in New York, then yeah."

He shook his head as it sank in. "Damn, I remember jokin' with Lavon about his secret girlfriend."

"Lavon is still pretty hung up on her. It's part of the reason he and DeeDee broke up."

"Aww, really? That sucks… And George has no clue."

"Nope." Zoe answered glumly.

They both sat quietly for a moment, thinking about it all.

"Lavon swore me to secrecy…" Zoe started to say but Wade waved her off.

"It's not our story to tell. Don't worry I'm not gonna say anythin'."

Zoe curled up next to him. "I'm sorry all this drama impacted your night."

He hugged her into him, "Darlin', welcome to life with Annie. I love her but she don't really do quiet. It's all out loud and right between the eyes. And it has a way of snowballin'. 'Keeps things interestin'."

She laughed lightly into his chest. He kissed her head. "'Sides, what I wanted tonight was for the place to be full and you to be there. I got both so I'm feelin' pretty good."

He lifted place his fingers under her chin and lifted her face till her eyes met. "I don't wanna talk about Annie, George, Lemon and Lavon anymore."

He kissed her deeply as he scooped his arm underneath her. She slid her arms around his shoulders as he picked her up and carried her to his room. There was no more talk about other people's drama.

After some quality time that resulted in them naked in his bed, Wade balanced over Zoe. She smiled up at him.

"How is it possible that was even better than last night… or this morning?" she asked.

"I dunno but I ain't complainin'." He told her as he kissed her again before rolling on to his side.

The smile on her face grew, she turned and snuggled her back against his chest, his arms closed around her instinctively.

Things were changing so quickly between them and moving so fast, it was hard to figure out what it all meant. Both of them were in unchartered territory. It was too hard to put up any fight against the feelings for him that were growing stronger all the time. If she thought about it too much it made her a little uneasy, nothing was that simple. In that moment though, she found it difficult to let any of that seep through, the free-fall was exquisite. Before she could even think she spoke.

"I'm really happy right now."

It hit him a little out of left field; she was not big on verbal emotional outbursts. Not sure how to respond he just pulled her closer, "Me too".

His mind had been traveling the same space as hers in that moment, though neither of them spoke about it. He had a hard time holding back around her and it was undeniable the impact she had on him. But, tonight was not a night for big conversations. He just wanted to be with her and have her around.

"You gonna come by the Jammer tomorrow?" his hand lazily running up and down her arm.

She laced a hand in his. "Maybe… I'm thinking about it," she teased.

He smirked and then moved quickly to have her underneath him, trapped as he tickled her. She squealed in laughter and tried to stop his hands. He laughed along with her though it was not long before the movement of his hands became more purposeful as the feeling of her underneath him started to cloud his thinking. She reached up for his face and kissed him deeply. Soon they were completely tangled up in each other and finding it did, in fact, get better every time.

* * *

><p>Wade woke with Zoe still in his arms. He needed to head up to the house for breakfast with his sister but found it difficult to extricate himself from her. He nuzzled into her ear and whispered her name. She stirred slightly and murmured something unintelligible.<p>

"I gotta go meet Annie for breakfast." He continued whispering.

"You want me to come?" she asked sleepily.

"Naw, get some sleep."

She nodded slightly - too tired to think about getting up yet. He kissed her neck before slowly pulling himself away from her and out of bed. She had already fallen back to sleep by the time he gotten out of the shower. Coming out in his towel he grabbed clean clothes out of the laundry basket but stopped to watch her for a moment. Her long brown hair fanned out on the pillow, her back bare with the sheet bunched around her hips. She was sound asleep and he liked seeing her there, in his bed. He started to shake his head and laugh at himself. He was goner, he thought, a sad sack reduced to sappy romantic comedy moments like watching his girl asleep in his bed. He pulled a t-shirt over his head and continued getting dressed. He kissed her forehead before heading out to meet Annie from breakfast.

Annie was sitting on the stoop of the kitchen door with her coffee as he approached the house. She looked like Pebbles Flintstone with her hair in a ponytail on the top her head. It reminded him of when they were kids. Annie saw him and picked up the other mug beside her to hand him.

"Mornin'" she greeted him and he sat next to her on the stoop.

"Hey," he replied, taking the coffee.

She dropped her head on to his shoulder and he used his free hand to mess her hair. She grimaced and pulled her head back then elbowed him in the ribs. His coffee sloshed over the brim of his cup.

"Hey, watch it now. Don't be messin' with a man's coffee." He said laughing.

"Then don't be messin' with the woman that made it." She smirked at him.

It was the same as ten years ago. They did this when they were in high school, except back then they used the stoop so they wouldn't wake Earl who would be sleeping off the night before. They sat quietly for a little while drinking their coffee, listening to the birds and enjoying the peace of the morning.

"I was gonna stop over and see Granddaddy." She said breaking the easy silence.

"That'd be good, he'll be happy to see ya'." Wade stood up and opened the door to head into the kitchen. "Y'want some eggs?"

Annie narrowed her eyes as she thought, "Can you make Grandma's French toast with the vanilla and cinnamon?"

He nodded, reaching for her hand to pull her up. They headed into the empty kitchen. Wade pulled the eggs and milk from the fridge and started mixing the liquids together. Annie took his mug and refilled it for him before she sat on the stool at the island.

"I like Zoe." She told him.

Wade was over the griddle and he smiled, but did not say anything.

"…Gotta like any woman that'd get you off your ass and finally buyin' the Rammer Jammer." Annie added.

He grabbed the towel sitting on the counter and threw it at her. She ducked her head in time so it landed on the floor behind her. She ignored it and took another sip of her coffee.

"So where you off to next?" Wade asked, moving on from his sister's commentary.

"I gotta be up in New York next week. We're gonna be openin' for Lady Antebellum till the end of June." Annie sounded pleased.

Wade could not help feeling proud. "Y'all are getting' some good shows. That's great."

"Yeah, it's pretty cool. The guys are headin' up there tomorrow, but I was thinkin' I'd stick around here a few days - meet 'em up there over the weekend. George said Garth, Ronnie and the whole crew are playin' the ole honky-tonk in Daphne on Thursday. We talked about goin' out to see 'em. That'd be a hoot after all these years." Annie leaned on her elbows with the coffee cup balanced in her hands. Her face had an easy smile that disappeared once Wade spoke.

"Annie, don't go messin' with George. After last night, I think it'd be better if you just let 'em fix things with Lemon and lay low."

That got her back up. "I ain't messin' with George. He's the one that mentioned it… And I didn't do nothin' last night. Christ, I was on stage singin'! Ain't my fault that girl's got issues."

Wade flipped the bread on the griddle. He rolled his eyes and let out a deep breath. "Let's skip your righteous indignation, alright? You know what I'm sayin'."

"No, I most certainly do not know what you're sayin'. I ain't makin a play for George. Christ, you know me better than that."

Wade brought a plate over for her with the syrup and butter. He put it in front of her and then leaned down to look her in the eye.

"Yeah, I do. But does George know that? Cuz the way he was actin' last night it sure didn't seem like it."

Annie's eyes dropped to her plate. She took the syrup and started drowning the French toast in it. "What am I supposed to do? George was my best friend, Wade. I'm not plannin' on movin' next door to 'em, I just wanna hang out while I'm visitin'."

Wade went back to the stove and started the next batch. "I know. But things aren't that easy, like when we was kids. If that's what you want, maybe you need to clear the air."

He looked over at her and she was pouting like she was five again. Wade shook his head. "I'm serious Anna Lee. You gotta deal with it cuz I'm real tired of bein' put in the middle of it. After you leave, I'm gonna have George mopin' and Lemon spittin' nails at me for a month. I don't need that shit."

She shoved a fork full of French toast into her mouth and nodded, resigned. "Alright," she mumbled before changing the subject. "This is real good. Grandma would be proud."

Wade laughed. He had said his piece and besides, she had a way that even talking with mouth full was kind of charming.

"So Zoe?" Annie eyes were big, full of questions. "All that wooin' you planned worked, huh?"

Wade allowed a wry smile. Even with Annie, he was not the kind of guy that spilled about his girlfriend. He gave a quick nod and a short answer, "So far."

She smiled and her eyes twinkled. He might try and keep it buttoned down, but she was not having it.

"So she's stayin' in Bluebell?" Annie assumed by the way the two of them acted that it was a done deal.

Wade shrugged, uncomfortable with this question. "Dunno, haven't talked about it."

Annie tilted her face down so she could raise her eyes to look squarely at him the way their grandmother used to when she was displeased. "Seriously?"

"It's only been a little over a week." Wade was the indignant one now.

"Let's skip the righteous indignation, alright?" She said imitating his voice from moments ago.

Wade narrowed his eyes and kept to the work of flipping French toast on the griddle. He did not appreciate the way their conversation had turned. And he appreciated her imitating him even less. That, however, did not seem to faze his sister in the least.

"Everyone else can see plain as day that you two are crazy about each other." She told him. "So don't give me this whole _'It's only been a week' _business. Won't she be hearin' about that job in New York soon?"

Lavon wandered into the kitchen then. Annie jumped off her stool and poured the mayor a cup of coffee; placing it in front of him.

"What y'all talkin' about?" Lavon asked before taking a big swig from his mug.

"I was just callin' Wade out on some b.s." Annie said matter-of-factly.

Wade put a pile of French toast on a plate and handed it to Lavon who was sitting next to Annie at the island. Wade shot his sister a look before turning back to the stove. Lavon was smirking. It was fun to watch Wade like this. Annie was the only one that could disrupt his normally unflappable attitude, well besides Zoe.

"And what would that be?" Lavon asked before he dove into his breakfast.

"I asked Wade if Zoe was stayin' in Bluebell and he got all huffy. Actin' like it was some crazy question cuz _it's only been a week_," she imitated Wade again.

Annie put her fork down and turned towards Lavon. "And all I'm sayin' is they don't act like they only been on a couple of dates."

She was gaining steam and turned back to Wade, "I mean seriously, you two have been on a collision course since she got here. Every phone call, I have gotten a blow by blow of every interaction you two have had. Seems to me, this thing with you two had been goin' on longer than a week. It's just you finally stopped pretendin'."

Lavon pursed his lips and nodded. "Baby sister's got a point, Wade."

Wade continued to make French toast to avoid dealing with the double team. At the rate he was going, there'd be enough to feed a chunk of Bluebell. But it didn't matter; Annie was like a dog with a bone.

"See!" she pointed at Wade, "It's not just me. Lavon sees it too. What you two got, it's real, Wade. You gotta talk to Zoe about this New York fellowship thing. Cuz pretendin' it ain't there isn't gonna make it disappear."

Before the words left Annie's mouth, Zoe had opened the door and stepped into the kitchen. Zoe's mouth was frozen half open like she was about to speak before she caught the end of Annie's remark. Zoe's eye looked to Wade who bit his lower lip and brushed his hand through his hair. Annie smiled ruefully at Zoe and then Wade.

"Uh-oh, looks like I just stepped in it."

Lavon had his eyebrows raised and his mouth zipped shut. He decided the safest thing to do was focus on the French toast in front of him. He had only gotten a bite into his mouth before Annie grabbed his arm.

"Lavon, I need a ride over to the Senior Center. C'mon."

She was off her stool and pulling on the mayor who was happy to be removed from the train wreck in his kitchen.

"Uh, sure. Let me get my keys," he grabbed them off the counter and the two of them had moved passed Zoe and out the door in record time.

Wade grabbed a mug and poured coffee for Zoe, who was still standing by the door. He handed the mug to her and brushed the hair from her forehead before he kissed it. He took her free hand and guided her to Annie's now vacant stool. He grabbed Annie's clean plate and Lavon's half eaten breakfast to put them in the sink. He fixed a plate for Zoe. It was hard for him to ever get angry at Annie, but he was not particularly happy with his sister at the moment. Zoe was sitting there, looking a little shell-shocked and he struggled with how to address the situation.

"Sorry 'bout that." He started. Wade was leaning against the sink looking at the floor.

"What were you talking about?" Zoe asked, struggling not to let any anger show. She didn't like the idea of the three of them talking about… what they had been talking about. She and Wade had not even discussed it as Annie so clearly pointed out.

"We weren't talkin' about anything. Annie was just runnin' her mouth about things that don't concern her." Wade explained.

Zoe calmed a bit when he said that, but still didn't know how to address the elephant Annie had plopped in the middle of the kitchen.

"I haven't heard anything about the fellowship. I would tell you if I did." She felt the need to defend herself.

Wade moved over to Lavon's stool and took her hand. "I know."

"I haven't even really thought about it since you climbed in the window of the exam room." She managed a smile, trying to make the mood a little lighter.

He nodded and leaned in to kiss her. Then he rested his forehead against hers. "As pissed as I am at her at the moment, Annie has a point."

Zoe closed her eyes and nodded. "I know."

"But we don't have to do it today." He said as he ran his hand through her hair.

"I'll probably hear something in the next week or two." Her eyes looked at him then.

He nodded slightly and pursed his lips, pulling back from her. She could see the worry on his face and needed to reassure him.

"I really want to figure this out," she searched his eyes for some sign.

He let out a breath and nodded. Then he took her face in his hands and kissed her intensely. He pulled back and his eyes stared directly at hers, "Me too."

He looked over at the clock and got up from the stool. "I gotta go." He said.

She stood up and wrapped her arms around his chest. "I'll come by later."

He hugged her close and kissed the top of her head. "Sounds good," he said before releasing her.

He grabbed his keys from the counter and headed out the door. He looked back at her with a smile before he shut the door behind him. Zoe stared at the plate of French toast he had made for her. She pushed it back, she was not hungry.

* * *

><p><strong>Ugh, it was bound to come up sooner or later and leave it to Annie to drag it out. <strong>

**Next chapter introduces Wade and Annie's grandfather. It also deals with more of the fall out of the night of the re-opener and Annie's mouthful. Stay tuned...**

**Can't wait to hear what you think!**


	14. Chapter 14 Sunset Soon Forgotten

**Sorry for the delay in getting this up. I was trying to work through this next section and then my schedule got crazy. Our dear friends in Bluebell are trying to dig out of the mess, but it's not easy going. On the up side, there's a new member of the Wade and Annie's family to meet. Hope you like him!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hart of Dixie.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14: Sunset Soon Forgotten<strong>

"I really stepped in it."

Annie looked over at Lavon as he drove. Wade had to be pissed at her. He had every right to be. Way to make a good impression with Zoe too, she thought. The girl probably would run all the way back to New York just to get away from Wade's jerk of a sister. When would she learn to stop shooting her mouth off?

Lavon nodded, "That you did."

"I feel bad. I gotta apologize to Wade…and probably Zoe too. I know it ain't any of my business. I need to learn to keep my mouth shut."

Lavon chuckled. The chance of that happening was slim. Annie looked up at him as he laughed.

"What's so funny?" She knew exactly what was so funny, but was offended by his response. He could at least try to be sympathetic.

He gave her a look as if to say, _you're joking, right? _They were pulling up to the Senior Living Center now and Annie was happy to get out of the car. She pulled her hair out of the ponytail and looked in the mirror to fix her hair. She'd planned to fix herself up a bit more before seeing her grandfather but circumstances did not allow for it. She pulled the handle and opened the door.

She grimaced over at Lavon who was still amused by her comments. "Thanks for the ride, Mr. Mayor."

Lavon laughed even more, "Any time. Give my best to Mr. Lee."

"Yeah, will do," she grumbled before shutting the door.

He was still laughing as he pulled away. Annie rolled her eyes and then walked up the path towards the entrance. Her grandfather would understand, she told herself. Closing the door behind her, she headed to the nurses desk so she could track him down.

Nathanael Lee was enjoying his book on the screened in back porch. At the age of 83 he was one of the most mobile and alert residents of the Bluebell Gardens Senior Living Center. Able to get by with the use of only a cane, he still enjoyed taking his morning constitutional around the grounds; though his pace had slowed as of late. Nat had decided to move into the newly constructed assisted living facility not long after his wife died. It was not an easy decision given it meant his two grandchildren would then live full-time with their ne'er do well father, but he hadn't been sure he was a better alternative having given up his driver's license not long after his wife's death due to his poor eye sight. Even after he left the plantation, he made it a point to keep his late daughter's two children close and they knew he was there if ever they needed him.

The nurse's aide showed Annie out to the porch and he perked up from his book when he heard the screen door. A bright smile filled his face when he saw his granddaughter, the spitting image of her mother at that age.

"Anna Lee, look at you!" he called out to her. He placed his book on the side table and stood up with his arms opened to her.

"Granddaddy!" she exclaimed skipping over to his open arms, just as she always had.

He released her, but held onto her arms taking her in. "My, you are a sight for sore eyes."

He sat back in his chair and patted the one across from him. "Have a seat. Wade told me you were comin' in for his big deal."

She relaxed into the chair. "It went really well. You'd be proud."

"I'm always proud of you two." Her grandfather sat back in his chair and smiled. "Though I've been wonderin' if your brother's recent choices have anythin' to do with a certain pretty doctor. He's pretty mum on the subject, but I'm no fool."

Looking at him was a glimpse of Wade in fifty or so years - the same eyebrows over the same green eyes. And his lips pulled up slightly more on one side as he smirked too.

Annie nodded slightly, "I think you're right, granddaddy. He's pretty happy and I'd say Zoe is a big reason why."

"I met her, you know?" Hamilton leaned forward as if he was letting her in on a secret. "Wade doesn't know."

"How'd you manage that?" She asked laughing.

"Oh Dr. Hart comes by here once a week to visit certain folks and volunteers over at the senior center too. She started comin' by after that unfortunate incident with your brother. When I heard it was she and that she was Harley's daughter to boot… Well, I made it a point to make her acquaintance." He gave her a crafty smile.

Annie laughed more before asking him with the same sneaky tone her grandfather was using, "And does she know who you are?"

He looked at her as if she had asked something unpardonable. "Why yes, I introduced myself," he paused and the sly smile returned, "I just many not have mentioned any of my relations."

Annie broke into a full giggle. "Granddaddy!"

"Oh I suppose I could have told Wade, but I haven't had much of a chance." He looked only mildly remorseful.

The nurse's aide returned then with Nat's medication. After the brief interruption, he relaxed back in his seat.

"So, sugar, are you gonna tell your granddaddy what has you all out of sorts?" he peered over his eyeglasses at her.

"Nothin' gets passed you, does it?" She sighed.

"Not when it comes to you and your brother." He answered. "Now c'mon, tell me all about it."

Annie let out a sigh and slumped further into her chair. "I've been in Bluebell less than 24 hours and I think I've already stirred up a whole bunch a trouble."

He let out a hearty laugh at that. "Well, you wouldn't be Anna Lee if you didn't."

Her bottom lip came over her top one as the glum expression took over her face. "I really didn't mean to. In the first instance I really didn't do anything, though Wade doesn't seem to believe me. All I did is say hi to George. Lemon Breeland just hates me…"

"George Tucker?" her grandfather interrupted.

"Yes."

"Hmmm," he mused. "That boy still sweet on you?"

"No!" she exclaimed before she began to back pedal thinking about Wade's words this morning and the events of the night before. "Well, maybe… I don't know. But I didn't do nothin' improper."

"Anything," he corrected her. His efforts to correct their grammar over the years had failed miserably. He blamed their father.

"Yes, sir… Anything improper." She repeated. She became more mindful when she spoke. "I just want to be friends with George, like when we were kids."

"Anna Lee, as I recall you and George Tucker were more than friends. Remember, I caught you two kissin' in the barn."

"That was years ago!" she exclaimed. "And it's not like George and I ever really dated. You and Grandma wouldn't allow it…"

She was fully flustered and he could not help but laugh.

"You were awful young and your grandma and I were right," he chuckled. "But my point is that it's dishonest to say you and George were only friends."

She looked down at her hands, "I suppose. But like I said, that was years ago. He's been with Lemon for over a decade. And besides George and I would never work. I have absolutely no desire to stay in Bluebell and settle down."

Nathanael Lee knew his granddaughter well enough to see it was useless to argue with her. She had made her mind up on how things were supposed to be, and he was not going to get her to change her mind. Still, he was not sure she was being honest, with him or even herself. Annie and George had a kinship. But, his granddaughter was like a feral horse, happy to run wild - free from the domestication of her predecessors. And growing up the way she did it was understandable that the idea of being tied down would scare the pants off of her.

"I just want us to be friends. George gets me, and not many people do."She sounded wistful.

Her grandfather leaned forward and patted her hand. "Well, sugar, that may not be possible. But if George is as important to you as you claim…"

Annie grumbled, "Wade already said I need to talk to George and make it things clear."

"I have to agree with Wade on that," he said.

Annie sighed dramatically. "I know. I'm gonna talk to him."

"That's my girl." He smiled as he sat back in his chair. "Now what other trouble have you been up to in the past twenty-four hours?"

Annie looked down at her hands, "I kinda stepped in it this mornin' with Wade and Zoe. I really gotta learn to hold my tongue"

He could tell she really felt bad so he worked to hold back his laughter. He nodded, "Go on."

She retold the story of this morning that preceded her visit. By the time she finished, part of him wanted to laugh imagining Annie and the other felt for Wade.

"Well you don't need me to tell you what you need to do here, do you?" he said kindly.

She shook her head and bit her lip. "No, sir. I know I need to go apologize to Wade… and to Zoe."

Her grandfather nodded his head and said nothing as he waited patiently.

She slowly pulled herself out of the chair. "And I should go do that now."

He stood up and gave her a hug. "That sounds about right. Make sure you stop in to see me before you go, maybe come with your brother."

She nodded into his chest. "I will. Love you, granddaddy."

He released her and kissed her forehead. "Love you too, sugar."

He walked her out before heading down to the dining room for lunch. _Lord deliver us from Annie, _he thought and chuckled to himself.

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Zoe continued to play with the pancakes on the plate. Reality had finally come crashing down. She knew Wade and she would have to deal with the possibility of the New York fellowship at some point, but the high they had been riding was so delicious she did not want to come down. And here was the thud. Zoe knew Wade meant it when he told her he wanted to figure this out, but she also could tell he had doubts she would stay. Not such an unreasonable response given how much she had talked about going back to New York since she arrived. She had spent most of life thinking being the best cardiothoracic surgeon was all that mattered. The trouble was now something else, someone else was beginning to matter more than she ever imagined. She continued playing with the food on the plate and was so lost to her thoughts that she didn't hear Lavon come in the door.

She only emerged when he patted her shoulder. "You alright?" he asked.

She nodded unconvincingly. "Yeah, are you?"

Lavon did not bother pretending he did not know what she meant. He shrugged slightly and then leaned against the counter. Zoe decided she would rather hear about what happened with Lavon and Lemon the night before than stew in her thoughts.

"What happened with Lemon?"

Lavon's face was resigned. "I know you think I came outside last night just to find Lemon so I could come to her rescue, and you're probably right. But don't worry, nothin' happened. Once she got in the car all she talked about was how she had always loved George and he was all she ever wanted, but Annie was always there and she can't be Annie. It was pretty clear her throwing herself at me was more a reaction to seeing how George was with Annie and less about any feelin' she has for me. I get it now – she only comes to me when George ain't there."

Zoe winced in sympathy. "I'm so sorry, Lavon."

He just shrugged again. "S'Alright. I wished I'd figured it out sooner. I thought there was somethin' special there – between us. As it turns out that's not the case."

Despite what he said, Zoe could see how much it hurt him. She got off her stool and went over to hug him. Lavon appreciated it and rested his head on top of hers, needing the support.

"You okay?" she asked with concern.

He simply shrugged again. Lavon did not know how to feel. Yeah, he was hurt but it was more complicated than that. For so long he had believed that if it were not for George, he and Lemon would be together. But it was not as easy as removing George from the picture. Lemon's feelings for George and all that he signified to her were rooted deep. It was if George represented everything she wanted her life to be – stable, dependable, model citizen – the postcard picture. All her issues with her mother tangled up into that. Lemon had been right about one thing – she was not Annie. Annie has the girl who never gave a rat's ass, Lemon was the one that cared too much about what others thought. In his estimation, neither was a definition for a well-adjusted life. He was sad for her - and for himself.

Bringing himself out of his head, he realized he hadn't answered Zoe's question. He did not feel like sharing all of it with her, he needed more time to work through it all. He gave Zoe a quick squeeze before releasing from the hug. He headed over to the fridge to get himself some iced tea and answered her.

"Yeah, I'll be alright. Just gotta move on, is all."

He poured the tea and put the pitcher back in the fridge. Zoe took to her stool.

"I'm guessing that won't be easy." She said sympathetically.

"Naw, but I'm sure I'll survive."

He leaned back against the counter again and drank down half the glass. Zoe smiled at him.

"You're an amazing man, Lavon. I know you're going to find someone just as amazing as you."

Lavon did his best to smile back at her, but he continued chewing on the events of last night. The smile evaporated from his face.

"The killer was just coming back into the Jammer last night and seeing how George was acting around Wade's sister. I could understand why Lemon acted that way, I couldn't really be angry. Hell, how could I? I basically did the same thing to DeeDee."

Zoe spoke then, "Wade said Annie doesn't feel the same way as George."

Lavon let out a sardonic laugh. "I think Annie doesn't believe George and she would ever work – and so she just shuts it out. I don't think that is the same as not having any feelings for him."

Zoe reflected on what he said and wondered if it was true. "Are you angry with George?"

Lavon thought about it and then shook his head, "If I were mad at him, I'd have to be mad at myself. You can't really control who finds their way into your heart."

Zoe could not help but think about Wade when he said that. She certainly did not plan on him being in hers, and although she had not said it out loud she was falling in love with him.

Lavon knew where her mind had gone. "Did you and Wade talk after we left?

Zoe shook her head, "Not really."

"Are you mad at Annie?"

Zoe thought about Annie's words as she walked into the kitchen that morning. While she was not thrilled that Annie was butting in, she could not be upset. Annie was not wrong. She slowly shook her head.

Lavon chuckled. "That's the thing about Annie."

He nudged her shoulder. "C'mon. I'll buy you lunch at the Rammer Jammer."

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Annie rehearsed the various conversations she needed to have in her head. She headed towards the Rammer Jammer first. The conversation with Wade was the easiest. He would be annoyed, but accept her apology and all would be forgiven. It was also a good bet that he would help smooth things over with Zoe, making that conversation less of a concern. She thought she might try to talk to Lemon too. If Annie could convince her that she had intention of trying to get in between George and her maybe that would help things. The one she had the hardest time with was George. That one was the tough one. The idea of ever hurting George had always preempted her from ever having this conversation. She tried to think of how to talk to him, but kept coming up short. By the time she reached the Rammer Jammer she was no closer to figuring out what to say to him.

This instantly became a bigger problem when she walked in and saw George slumped on a stool at the bar. Annie looked at Wade who rolled his eyes the minute he saw her – could she have worse timing? But before she could quietly back out the door George saw her and perked up.

"Aww there's our girl, Wade. Annie, Annie, Annie…" he trailed off repeating her name. He was drunk.

"Hey George," she greeted him with wide eyes directed at Wade. She started motioning her head towards his office. "Wade, you got a minute?" She asked.

She needed to get his forgiveness a.s.a.p. so she could get the scoop on why George was hammered in the middle of a Sunday afternoon. Wade nodded and pointed towards the "Employees Only" door.

"Yeah, sure. George, you alright hangin' here a few minutes?"

George nodded lazily before picking up the beer in front of him. "Yup. I'm not goin' anywhere."

Wade eyed him with concern before heading back to his office with Annie. Once he had closed the door, Annie started with her rehearsed apology.

"Wade, I am SO sorry about this mornin'. I had no right to say anythin' 'bout you and Zoe. I just want you to be happy and sometimes I say things I shouldn't. I'll apologize to Zoe too if you want. I really like her and I don't want to cause any problems for you two. She's really good for you and I really didn't mean to put you in a bad position. I really am sorry…"

Wade started shaking his head and let out a sardonic laugh before he cut her off. "It's alright. I know."

She looked at him with her best penitent expression. "Sorry," she said one more time before going in for the forgiveness hug that generally followed in these situations.

"It's alright, but can you please TRY to keep yer mouth shut?" he laughed lightly.

She nodded into his chest. Wade pulled away then and his face said he was already on to the next issue.

"I got bigger problems now."

Annie furrowed her brow. "Yeah, what's up with George?"

Wade let out a deep breath. "Well it seems that Lemon really let George have it this mornin'. He went to smooth things over and she gave him an earful about you."

Annie squeezed her eyes shut thinking of all that Lemon might have said, but that didn't stop Wade from continuing.

"Oh it gets worse. She ended up tellin' him that she had a thing with Lavon while he was in New York. Sounds like it was her payback for how he acted around you last night. I can't tell if they broke up or what's goin' on, but it sounds pretty messed up. I don't think he knows whether to scratch his watch or wind his butt."

"Lemon and Lavon?" she said incredulously.

"Yeah, go figure." Wade said shrugging his shoulders.

"I was gonna go see Lemon after I talked to you and Zoe. Try to get her to understand I'm not tryin' to steal George." Annie explained.

Wade's left eye narrowed slightly, "Not sure that's such a great idea right now. Besides, it sounds like she took off for her cousin's place in Mobile."

"Lemon's gone?"

Wade nodded, "According to George, she had her bags packed before he even got there this mornin'."

Annie slowly shook her head as she absorbed it all. Wade patted her shoulder and started toward the door.

"I'm gonna take George back to his place. Can you stay here and watch the bar while I'm gone? Shelly'll be here in a half hour."

A light bulb went off in her head when he said that. Annie grabbed his arm. "Wade, let me take George home."

Wade looked at her like she had three heads, "In what universe is that a good idea?"

"Look, I gotta fix this. Let me set things straight with George."

The look she gave him said he could give her a little credit, but Wade was not having any of it.

"Now? Are you serious? He's hammered." Wade said incredulously.

Annie knew in her gut this was what she needed to do. It might be a long night, but all of a sudden she knew what to do. Her face was set when she looked Wade directly in the eyes.

"I got this." She said determined.

Wade knew that face. And although he seriously doubted this was a good idea there was no way he was gonna stop her. He put his hands up in defeat and let her pass him out the door. Then they heard the commotion coming from the bar. When they rushed back into the bar they saw Zoe trying to restrain George from grabbing Lavon, who was backing away with his hands up. Wade hurried passed Annie and put George in a Nelson hold to restrain him. Annie moved in front of Zoe and looked up at George.

"George, let me take you home now. Okay? No need to go makin' a scene. That's my job, remember?" She joked to try and lighten the mood.

George relaxed a little and tried to shake Wade off of him, albeit in a sloppy, drunk way, "Fine," he said but Wade hadn't budged.

George tried to look over his shoulder at Wade who still had a firm hold of him. "Wade, c'mon, let me go."

Wade slowly relaxed the hold he had on George and looked to Annie, "You sure about this?"

Annie let out a sigh before she grabbed the keys to George's truck off the bar with one hand and George's arm with the other. Heading out the door, Annie looked over her shoulder at Wade with a face that showed a little hurt and a lot of seriousness. "I said I got this. Have a little faith, would ya' please."

Wade watched Annie help George into his truck. He blinked his eyes hard and shook his head. It was only his second day of running the Rammer Jammer which was more than enough to fill his mind. But on top of that his life was bubbling over in every direction. The conversation with Zoe this morning weighed on him as it undoubtedly did her too. The looming news of the internship troubled both of them. Lavon looked like someone could knock him over with a feather and was trying to piece together why George had lunged at him. George was drunk in the middle of the afternoon because Lemon, upset about Annie, told him about her relationship with Lavon before up and leaving town. And now Annie was driving George home and asking Wade to trust her. _Jesus Christ, _he thought.

The two of them stood in front of him waiting for him to tell them what was going on. Before Wade could speak, Shelly walked in. Thank God she was early. He motioned for Lavon and Zoe to sit.

"Give me a minute. I gotta get Shelly set up and then I'll fill y'all in."

Without thinking, he gave Zoe quick kiss before walking into the back with Shelly. Zoe touched her lips. It had not solved their problems, but it made her feel a little better. Looking over at Lavon, she could see his confusion. She pushed the thoughts of her and Wade from her head for the moment. He was having a worse day than she was. She sat next to Lavon and for the second time that day asked him if he was okay. Lavon nodded, but the look on his face was so dazed she did not believe him. It was pretty clear that George knew about Lavon and Lemon, but everything else was not pretty murky. No one could blame Lavon for being lost.

It was not long before Wade returned. He relayed what George had told him, which was not a clear picture. Lavon's sadness from this morning was replaced by hurt and some anger. Zoe and Wade looked at him with concern as he sat there quietly taking it all in. From his perspective Lemon's reason for telling George about their relationship was retaliation, not because of any regard she had for Lavon. He was just a casualty in their relationship drama. The events of past 24 hours convinced him that whatever he and Lemon had was really over. He said as much to his two friends at the bar before he pushed his stool back and slowly stood. He opened his mouth again but then paused before any words came out. He took a deep breath and then looked at his two concerned friends.

"I think I need some time to myself. Zoe, you mind gettin' a ride with Wade?"

"Of course not," she told him as she touched his arm. "Are you sure you want to be alone?"

Lavon nodded. "Yeah, I am. I'll catch up with y'all later," and then walked out the front door.

After Lavon had left Wade leaned over the bar and cupped her face in his hands. "I know we gotta talk and things ain't figured out. But with everything else that's goin' on, I can't think straight. Only thing I know is I don't wanna screw things up with us."

Zoe looked at him and nodded. "Me either."

He let out a deep breath and rested his forehead against hers. "Can that be what matters right now and we'll deal with the rest of it when it comes?"

She nodded again gently, "Yes."

Wade kissed her softly before pulling away. "Hang out for a while?"

She smiled and let out a deep breath. "I was really hoping you would say that."

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><p><strong>What do you think? A lot is going on all of a sudden... <strong>**Next chapter, Annie and George have a long talk. **

**Please let me know what you think. I love hearing from you!**


	15. Chapter 15 What if You

**I'm so sorry for the long delay in posts. Things have been crazy with little time to write. Hope you'll check out the latest chapter. **

**This tries to tie together some of the crazy from the opening night. More gets dealt with in the next chapter. Please read and review. Always like to hear your thoughts!**

**Thanks to all of you who have commented, added this story to your favorites or alerts. I really appreciate the support!**

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><p><em><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own Hart of Dixie or its original characters. Only the storyline and original character(s) are mine.<strong>_

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><p><strong>Chapter 15: What If You<strong>

The Rammer Jammer was busy with a steady crowd throughout the day. Zoe had spent the afternoon sitting at the bar hanging out with Wade, chatting with Shelly when he got busy. She really wanted to be near him after the awkward exchange that morning. Though he had said they would deal with things as they came, she still felt a little self-doubting. Her last relationship was not particularly great, with a lot of things left unsaid most of the time. Things with Wade were different even before they got involved. He saw right through her. It still threw her for a loop. The timing stunk in a lot of ways, but she could not shut it off – a pretty new experience for the emotionally stunted Zoe Hart.

She took a deep breath and looked over her shoulder at Wade. She watched him make the rounds by the tables, chatting with the regulars. She was happy, happy for him. In a remarkably short period of time Wade had gone from ne'er do well bartender/heartbreaker to easy going proprietor. It suited him well and he clearly was enjoying it. He winked at her before heading back to the kitchen. She winked back and leaned back onto the bar chair. He had a way of calming her down and getting the hamster wheel of her mind to stop.

Wade brought Zoe a made-to-order dinner. Dating the owner had its privileges. She smiled as he placed it in front of her; picking up an asparagus spear and chomping it down. He was the perfect antidote to her anxiety; the man brought her grilled chicken and steamed asparagus. She was not even sure how something non-fried made it out of the kitchen. He leaned in after she finished chewing and gave her a slow kiss.

"'Glad you stayed and hung out." He told her as he leaned on the bar looking right at her.

"How late are you working?" she asked coyly.

Strangely the question broke the mood as he looked back at the clock and rubbed his hand through his hair.

"Not sure. 'Waiting to see how long it takes Annie to get back." He said with a little concern in his tone.

"She's been gone a while." Zoe commented. "You're worried." It wasn't a question.

Wade sighed, "Yeah, well, it's Annie."

Zoe reached across the bar and squeezed his hand. "They're both grown-ups. I'm sure everything's fine."

Wade nodded and mumbled something under his breath before throwing the towel in his hand over his shoulder and walking back to the kitchen. Zoe went back to her dinner and waited for him to return. When he came back through the swinging door, she noticed he looked to see if Annie had returned in the five minutes he had been gone.

"She's still not back," Zoe said.

Another hand through his hair, Wade leaned against the bar back. "I'm sure everything is fine." He murmured her words to him.

She leaned forward and grabbed his hand to pull him closer. She looked up in his eyes. "They're both grown-ups. There isn't too much you can do except stay out of it."

He nodded but was biting his lip. Zoe lips pulled up into a sly smile. She pulled him closer and kissed him before raising herself of her stool.

"Try not to be too late." She told him in her best seductive voice. "I have plans for you."

Any thoughts he had about George and his sister escaped his head. He reached for her hand as she backed away from the bar.

"Where you goin'?" he asked. His mind wandered to what her plans might be. He thought maybe it should not wait until later. "Perhaps you could step into my office?"

Zoe smiled and squeezed his hand before letting go. "I don't think so, buster. Besides, I want to check on Lavon." She winked at him before she got to the door, "Just don't be too late."

Wade leaned back and sighed. His sister better get back soon. He had every intention of getting out of there at a respectable hour so he could find out more about Zoe's plans.

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George had passed out pretty soon after she had gotten him in the door and on the couch. Annie slumped into the easy chair. She closed her eyes and thought back to a night in New York over a year ago, the last time she and George had been alone.

He was working in the city and she was in town for a few dates at the Rodeo Bar. She called him on a lark, getting his number from Wade. After he came to the band's last show, the two of them ended up in a dive bar at 7th and B. He was homesick for Bluebell and his break with Lemon was fresh. He was not sure whether they were together or not. Annie was longing for something familiar after months on the road and he was a touchstone. They effortlessly fell into the easy familiarity they'd always shared – several shots of Southern Comfort had helped. They caught each other up on recent events and joked about old stories. George laughed easily and teased her. Beneath the golden boy, there was a fun, smart ass that not many people saw. Annie (and Wade) seemed to be the only ones that could draw it out of him without much prompting. After she'd been hit on by a couple of guys at the bar, George joked she was not always quite the temptress she seemed to be now. She'd shot back that he would know since he was her first kiss. She remembered him gently pushing her with his shoulder till she almost fell off the bar stool and her leaning against his shoulder as she laughed.

Full of So-Co and laughter, they had wandered down the street arm in arm, passing through Tompkins Square Park. Without any premeditation but in what seemed at the time a logical conclusion, she ended up at his apartment. She woke up the next morning snuggled against him – they were both fully clothed, but being next him like that completely freaked her out. Annie worked hard to keep people at a distance, but George always had a way of getting in. She slowly and easily crawled out of bed and made her way to the kitchen for some water. She poured a glass for him and found some aspirin in his medicine cabinet. She took a couple and placed the bottle next to the glass of water on his night stand. She quickly cleaned herself up and slipped out his apartment before he woke.

She told herself she needed to get on the road for a gig that night in Charlottesville and he knew that. She reasoned there was nothing to be said, nothing really had happened. Besides, she figured he would be heading back to Bluebell – and Lemon - within a few months anyway. He may like New York, but he loved Bluebell.

The truth was talking to George about why they did not work was too hard. Annie really did not do relationships – for all the reasons any therapist would list: deadbeat dad, losing her mom at a young age, etc. But George was the ying to her yang before all that went down. They were total opposites, but somehow linked to each other. Now, watching him sleep and thinking of the events of the passed twenty-four hours she felt guilty. Avoiding a real conversation with George had been cowardly. That's certainly what her granddaddy had intimated earlier. Annie sucked in a deep breath and resolved to quit being a chicken. It made things worse and George deserved better than that. She would say all the things she should have a long time ago. She nodded her head with determination and let out that deep breath. Then she closed her eyes and thought about what she was going to say. Somewhere along the way she dozed off, the lack of sleep the night before catching up with her. She woke to George leaning over her and squeezing her shoulder. Blinking her eyes awake she saw he was a little worse for the wear but much more sober.

"You stayed?" he said surprised.

She smirked, "Of course, did you think I was just gonna sneak out while you were asleep?"

George smiled, "Wouldn't be the first time."

She scrunched her nose. "Yeah, I'm sorry 'bout that."

"It's alright – I kinda expected you to freak out."

She looked at him curiously, "Really?"

George chuckled. "I do know you."

She looked down and nodded. "Yes, you do."

Squeezing her shoulder one more time, George sat back on the couch and rubbed his temples. "Did I make as big of a scene at the Rammer Jammer as I think I did?"

"Let's just say you weren't at your best, but I don't think your reputation is beyond repair."

He nodded, but remembered his rambling to Wade and lunging at Lavon. The nodding then turned to head shaking. Annie found she had a mixture of guilt and responsibility bubbling up in her. _Don't be chicken, don't be chicken,_ she repeated as mantra in her head.

"I'm sorry about what happened with Lemon and for any part I had in it." Annie said quietly.

George sucked in a deep breath; then stood. "Thanks, but it's not necessary. It isn't your fault, Annie. Lemon and I get to enjoy all the blame on this."

He walked into his kitchen to get some water and aspirin for his hangover. She followed behind asking, "Did she really leave?"

After swallowing the aspirin with a glass of water, he sighed, "Yup."

"You're going after her, right?"

George filled his glass again and then walked out to the back porch. Annie trailed behind again and sat next to him on the glider. She anxiously waited for him to speak. After a brief, awkward silence he spoke.

"She asked me not to and, honestly, I don't want to right now. Things with Lemon have been really hard for a while now. I'm kinda exhausted."

Annie leaned back on the glider. This was not what she expected to hear. She had always believed that while Lemon was a little crazy, she was exactly the kind of woman George should be with – Lemon would be thrilled to have kids and a home, Memory Matron, the whole nine yards. It was hard to imagine them not together. She tried to wrap her head around it. They sat quietly for a few minutes before George spoke again.

"I'm not sure Lemon knows what she wants and I can't figure that out for her. We're gonna spend some time apart … see what happens."

"But you love Lemon, I know you do. You two belong together, always have." Annie said, a sense of desperation creeping into her tone. The whole situation was rocking her world view.

George chuckled at her tone. Leaning back on the glider next to her, he started to rock it back and forth. "Lovin' someone doesn't mean you're gonna be together. I think we both know that."

She _really_ did not expect that. She nodded a little, staring straight ahead. Maybe it was chicken, but she was not quite ready to go there yet. Instead she pushed forward with another question, "So what are you gonna do then?"

"Dunno exactly."

Huh? George did not know what he was going to do. That was it. She was at a total loss.

Leaving the Rammer Jammer she was confident that she would be able to set things straight between them. Then George would go after Lemon. That plan was out the window. While she worked to gather her thoughts, they sat quietly, the glider rocking in a leisurely way. Annie broke the silence this time.

"Well, I wasn't expecting _that_," her tone was deadpan.

George chuckled. "Well, how about that? Usually you're the one surprising me."

She smiled wryly at that before quietly asking, "So what are you thinkin' then?"

"Just how strange it all is. I went to New York trying to show you that I wasn't just some small town good guy, but then I missed Bluebell - just proving you right. Then I came back here, got engaged to Lemon, and put down roots like you always said I would. And now it turns out you were wrong. I gotta hand it to you Annie – only you can be completely right and totally wrong about the same thing."

He elbowed her gently. She stared down at her hands. He was doing a much better job of having this conversation than she was. She was just a plain disaster and had no idea how that had happened. She closed her eyes and slowly shook her head until George spoke again.

"…But you still know me better than anyone else," he finished.

"Well, that's kinda sad since you're sayin' I'm completely wrong." She elbowed him back. He might have thrown her off, but she still had her sass.

"Not completely." He qualified. "I do love Bluebell and I do belong here. Maybe I'm just not supposed to marry Lemon. Like I said, I dunno."

Annie eyed him suspiciously then, "You sound mighty calm for a guy who was drunk as a skunk and tryin' to start fights this afternoon."

"I'm not sayin' I was happy to hear about Lemon and Lavon or that I was expectin' my fiancé to leave town when I woke up this morning, but sittin' here now and lookin' at it all…" he just trailed off without finishing.

"Wade said you were in bad shape when you came in." She was not letting it go. George was going to have to do a better job of explaining how he went from drunk in the Rammer Jammer to this calm, collected guy.

George looked down at her smiling, "Yeah, I was."

Her brow furrowed. She tried to figure out his expression, which seemed totally out of place. George's smile widened as he watched her. Though not intentional, it was pretty amusing. Then he took in a deep breath. Since she was not letting him off the hook, he tried again to explain.

"No doubt it was a surprise. I was all ready to go through the same ole pattern with Lemon where we smooth over another bad patch. When it didn't go down that way it was a little bit of a jolt, but that doesn't mean it isn't the right thing. I guess that's startin' to sink in now."

Annie looked at him thoughtfully and then nodded. What he said probably would not satisfy many people as an explanation, but she understood and let it go.

George looked out at the night. Maybe nobody else would see it, including her, but Annie had come back at the right moment. Lemon and he had been on a collision course for a while and they had finally admitted it. Annie was the catalyst for that. George grabbed her hand absentmindedly. It was good to be here with her, just the two of them. Annie, for all her craziness, always made him feel at ease.

He had not seen or talked to her since that night in New York. It was not that surprising. When it came to talking about feelings, Annie ran for the hills. They never talked about this thing they had. Even in high school she just slowly drifted away and after he began dating Lemon, they rarely hung out alone. But they never really let go of each other. After she left Bluebell she would call him and they would have long conversations about everything and nothing.

He knew she would not be staying. She was too big for Bluebell, the town suffocated her. It always had, even when she was just a girl. He had never said that to her, but felt now was probably a good time.

"I know you can't stay here." He said.

She started to speak, but he put his finger over her mouth.

"Don't go freaking out again." He looked at her squarely in the eye. She closed her mouth and nodded. "You don't belong here and I don't want to make you stay. I also know you don't think we'd ever work 'cause we want different things. That might be true. But that's never made this thing between us go away."

Annie rubbed her tongue over her lips thoughtfully. George was saying all of the things that she had always found too hard to say; guiding her through the very conversation she was supposed to be leading. Maybe he could tell her the one thing she could never figure out - the thing that made having this conversation so hard for her.

"I know everything you're sayin' is true, but I don't get where we go from here."

George wrapped her arm around his and rested his head on top of hers. "Well the current course hasn't worked so well," he chuckled, "not to state the obvious or anything."

She laughed then too. It was too absurd.

"Just 'cause we may not go walkin' into the sunset together, doesn't mean we should avoid each other." George said, "I miss talkin' to you, Annie. You're my best friend."

Annie sighed with a little relief, "Me too."

"So let's just see where things go." George said.

She wasn't exactly sure what IT was, but she nodded. He'd been right that the current state of things did not work. Her brain turned over what he just said. He and Lemon were not together. It wouldn't be hurting anyone. She pulled back, sitting up a little straighter and looked up at him. Tilting her head to side, eyes narrowed, she repeated back to him the understanding they had reached.

"So, we're just gonna see what happens? We'll hang out and… talk…" She trailed off and he nodded.

"We're gonna be honest with each other." George finished.

Annie nodded. "Alright, then," she squeezed his hand and started to stand. "As your friend, I'm gonna tell you that I should head out."

George looked at her confused. Annie cocked her head to the side.

"Aw, c'mon George, if we spend any more time snuggled up on your glider in the moonlight you and I both know where that's gonna go. And since we're bein' honest with each other I think I should tell you it's a bad idea for you to be cuddlin' up with anybody the day you and your fiancé broke up – especially me. Personally, I think you'd be much better off spendin' some time NOT in a relationship."

He stood up and crossed his arms. "Do ya' now?"

Annie nodded her head dramatically as if he were a little slow. "Uh, yeah."

Then in typical Annie fashion, she walked over and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head on his chest. He shook his head and put his arms around her waist. "I love ya, George. I come over here plannin' on taking care of you and havin' this talk but per usual, you do all the heavy liftin'. You're amazin'."

She raised herself up on her tip toes to give him a quick kiss – on the cheek. Then she pulled back and squeezed his hands before turning around. As she opened the door to the back porch, she called over her shoulder. "You should get some sleep. I'll call you tomorrow."

George stood there laughing and shaking his head. "Aye, aye Captain," he called after her and he heard her laughing back as she walked down the road.

On the walk back to the Rammer Jammer Annie felt better than she had in a long time. She kept a quick step, anxious to tell Wade that not only had she NOT made a bigger mess, but in fact she and George had finally talked and things were just fine – something Wade might want to try with Zoe. He did not need to feel like he was in the middle of anything and could instead focus his energy on figuring things out with Zoe. It seemed obvious to her that Zoe and he belonged together; they just needed to talk themselves. She stopped herself then. _Keeping my mouth shut, _she said quietly to herself. She repeated that several times as she walked.

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Wade sat on a bar stool at the bar with his laptop. He was doing the bar inventory which had dwindled more than he expected after the Saturday re-opening. The band had stopped in a little before four to say they were taking off and asked him to have Annie call them when she had her travel arranged. He looked at his watch again wondering where his sister was. It was closing time and she better turn up soon. Not only for the obvious reason, but because he wanted to get out of there and to Zoe before it was too late.

Annie walked in then as if she had heard his mental rant. He finished the last of his inventory and closed the laptop. The place was empty and the staff was leaving for the night as Annie came in. She walked behind the bar and grabbed the bottle of Old Grand Dad from the shelf and two glasses. She handed one to Wade and then raised hers to him to toast, "To cleaning up," she said and Wade smirked before clinking his glass to hers.

"Well, you're lookin' mighty pleased with yourself." He said after taking a swig of his drink.

Annie smiled. "George is fine. After his episode this afternoon he's returned to the calm, well-mannered version of himself that we all know and revere. And before you say anythin', I cleared the air with him… well, actually he cleared the air with me."

Her head cocked to the side and her eyes narrowed as she thought about it again. Wade looked a little surprised, but said nothing waiting to hear more details. When she emerged from her thoughts, Annie saw his face. She rolled her eyes and continued.

"Contrary to popular opinion, Lemon and George didn't split over me… or even Lavon. I guess things between them have been rough for a while and after last night both of them needed a break. And George and me finally had an honest conversation. Well, it was mostly him talking and me tryin' not to freak out, but I think things are… okay. Probably for the first time in a real long time."

Wade nodded. That was enough for him; he did not need to know the gory details. As long as he was not going to be in the middle of their bizarre love triangle he was happy. He drank down the contents of his glass. "Alright then. Glad you two sorted stuff out. Now can we get outta here? I got some place to be." he said with his crooked grin.

Annie finished her drink and hopped off the stool. "Why? You got a hot date?" she joked, matching his smirk with her own.

Wade pulled up to the main house and saw the lights were off.

"Is Lavon okay?" Annie asked.

"Dunno," Wade answered. "Zoe went to check on him a while ago. 'Looks like he's turned in now."

She nodded and opened the car door. "I'll make him breakfast. Try and cheer him up."

"Sounds like a plan." Wade said, "Now, if you don't mind I've got that hot date to get to."

Annie laughed as she shut the car door and walked towards that kitchen door. "'Night, big brother."

Wade pulled up to his place. The lights were off inside and he cursed his sister's name under her breath. He turned off the car and made his way up the front steps. When he came in the door he noticed the candles twinkling all over the room. He followed them into his bedroom and found Zoe sitting on the bed playing his guitar. She looked up at him seductively and he realized she wasn't wearing anything, the guitar simply stood in front of him and the areas he was particularly interested in.

"Well, it's about time," she said. "I was about to give up and go to sleep."

Wade tore off his shirt and crawled toward her on the bed. "Well, I'm sure glad you didn't."

He took the guitar and leaned it against the night stand before lowering himself on top of her. "Now, why don't you show me these plans you have," he murmured against her lips before she slipped her hands into his hair and closed the remaining distance between him.

* * *

><p><strong>So, let me know what you think. Are our Bluebellians on the right track? Where do you think they go from here? Inquiring minds want to know ;-)<strong>


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